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S3497
SENATE, No. 3497
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 12, 2026
Sponsored by:
Senator� JAMES BEACH
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires counties to make available voluntary medical
identification cards containing relevant patient health information.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� As introduced.
��
An Act
concerning medical identification cards and
supplementing Title 40 of the Revised Statutes.
����
Be It
Enacted
by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.��� a.�� The governing body
of each county shall establish a procedure for county residents to voluntarily
request, obtain, and update a medical identification card that meets the
requirements of subsection b. of this section.�
���� b.��� Medical identification
cards shall be in a standard design and format as established by the
Commissioner of Health, shall include a photo of the cardholder, and shall
include any health or medical information that the cardholder identifies for
inclusion, including, but not limited to:
���� (1)�� the cardholder�s blood
type;
���� (2)�� current medications;
���� (3)�� medical devices and
medical implants present in the cardholder�s body;
���� (4)�� allergy information,
including specific medication, food, plant, and insect allergies;
���� (5)�� any illnesses or other
health conditions that may impact the provision of health care or treatment to
the cardholder;
���� (6)�� medication restrictions,
including restrictions on the administration of narcotic drugs if the
cardholder is in recovery from an alcohol or substance use disorder;
���� (7)�� contact information for
the cardholder�s primary care provider and emergency contacts; and
���� (8)�� any other health or
medical information the cardholder identifies for inclusion.
���� c.���� Nothing in this section
shall be construed to require any person to obtain a medical identification
card, or to disclose any specific information in connection with a request for
a new or updated medical identification card.
���� d.��� A county may charge a
fee for the provision of a medical identification card, which shall not exceed
the actual cost to the county of providing the card to the requester.
���� e.���� No person shall be
subject to civil or criminal liability or administrative disciplinary action
for any act or omission undertaken in good faith in connection with the
issuance or update of a medical identification card, or in connection with the
provision of medical care or treatment in reliance on the information included
in a medical identification card.
���� f.���� (1)�� Information
provided in connection with a request for a medical identification card shall
be confidential, and any person who knowingly uses or discloses this
information without the cardholder�s consent shall be guilty of a crime of the
fourth degree.
���� (2)�� A person who commits
theft of a medical identification card shall be guilty of a crime of the third
degree.
���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect 180 days after the date of enactment, except that the Department of
Health and the governing bodies of each county may take any advance
administrative action as may be necessary for the implementation of this act.
STATEMENT
���� This bill establishes
requirements for counties to make medical identification cards available to
county residents.� Residents will be permitted, but not required, to obtain,
carry, and update a card as appropriate.� The cards are to include any information
relevant to the provision of health care and treatment to the resident that the
resident identifies and chooses for inclusion.
���� The medical identification
cards are to be in a design and format as specified by the Commissioner of
Health, include a photo of the cardholder, and include any information the
cardholder chooses to provide.� This information may include, but will not be
limited to: the cardholder�s blood type; current medications; medical devices
and medical implants present in the cardholder�s body; allergy information,
including specific medication, food, plant, and insect allergies; any illnesses
or other health conditions that may impact the provision of health care or
treatment to the cardholder; medication restrictions, including restrictions on
the administration of narcotic drugs if the cardholder is in recovery from an
alcohol or substance use disorder; contact information for the cardholder�s
primary care provider and emergency contacts; and any other information the
cardholder chooses to include.
���� Counties will be permitted to
charge a fee to provide medical identification cards, which is not to exceed
the actual cost to the county of providing the card.
���� Nothing in the bill is to be
construed to require any person to obtain a medical identification card or to
disclose any health or medical information in connection with a request for a
new or updated medical identification card.� The bill provides immunity from
civil and criminal liability and administrative disciplinary action for any act
or omission undertaken in good faith in connection with the issuance or update
of a medical identification card, or in connection with the provision of
medical care or treatment in reliance on the information included in a medical
identification card.
���� Information provided in
connection with a request for a new or updated medical identification card is
to be kept confidential.� Any person who knowingly uses or discloses this
confidential information without the consent of the cardholder will be guilty of
a crime of the fourth degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for up to 18
months, up to a $10,000 fine, or both.� Theft of a medical identification card
will be a crime of the third degree, which is punishable by imprisonment for
three to five years, up to a $15,000 fine, or both.��