Establishes temporary Pandemic PTSD Task Force.

S3662

SENATE, No. 3662

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED FEBRUARY 24, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� ANTHONY M. BUCCO

District 25 (Morris and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes temporary Pandemic PTSD Task Force.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing a
temporary task force to study,
and provide recommendations regarding the identification and treatment of,
pandemic-related post-traumatic stress disorder in first responders, health
care professionals, and other frontline workers.

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

���� 1.��� a.� As used in this act:

���� �First responder� means a law
enforcement officer, a paramedic or other emergency medical responder, or a
firefighter, whether working on a paid or volunteer basis, who provides
emergency response services during a pandemic.

���� �Health care professional�
means a physician, nurse, physician�s assistant, certified nurse aide,
homemaker-home health aide, personal care assistant, or any other health care
practitioner licensed or certified pursuant to Title 45 of the Revised Statutes,
and any properly authorized resident or intern, who provides health care
services during a pandemic.�

���� �Other frontline worker� means
an individual, other than a first responder or health care professional, who
provides an essential service or a key public service during a pandemic.�

���� �Pandemic� means the
coronavirus-19 (COVID-19) pandemic, declared by the World Health Organization
in March 2020, and any other pandemic of disease declared in the future.

���� �Pandemic PTSD� means
post-traumatic stress disorder that is suffered by first responders, health
care professionals, and other frontline workers due to their provision of
health care services, emergency medical services, emergency response or
transport services, or other essential or key public services during a
pandemic.

���� �Post-traumatic stress
disorder� or �PTSD� means a debilitating mental health condition that is
triggered by a terrifying, traumatic, or catastrophic event, is not
controllable through normal methods of self-care, and includes such symptoms as
flashbacks, nightmares, and severe anxiety, as well as the inability to control
one�s thoughts about the triggering event.

���� b.��� There is established, in
the Department of Human Services, a Pandemic PTSD Task Force.� The purpose of
the task force shall be to evaluate the prevalence and likelihood of, and
develop best practices for the identification and treatment of, pandemic PTSD
in first responders, health care professionals, and other frontline workers in
the State, and recommend the implementation and use of appropriate treatments
and supports to mitigate, eliminate, and otherwise reduce the effects of
pandemic PTSD on these workers.

���� c.���� The task force shall
consist of 21 members, including:�

���� (1)�� five members, or their
designees, who shall serve ex officio as follows:� the Director of the Office
of Employee and Organization Development in the Department of Law and Public
Safety, who shall serve as co-chair of the task force; the Assistant Commissioner
of the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services in the Department of
Human Services, who shall serve as co-chair of the task force; the Commissioner
of Health; the New Jersey Secretary of State; and the State Attorney General;�

���� (2)�� four public members to
be appointed by the Senate President, as follows:� (a) one licensed
psychiatrist who has expertise in the treatment of PTSD in first responders,
health care professionals, or other frontline workers, particularly during or
following the occurrence of public disasters or other crisis-level incidents;
(b) one licensed health care professional who has expertise in the treatment of
the physical side-effects of, or illnesses or injuries contributing to, PTSD;
(c) one law enforcement officer who has personal experience with PTSD; and (d)
one non-volunteer emergency medical responder who has personal experience with
PTSD;

���� (3)�� four public members to
be appointed by the Senate Minority Leader, as follows:� (a) one licensed
psychiatrist or other mental health care professional who has expertise in the
treatment of PTSD in first responders, health care professionals, or other frontline
workers, particularly during or following the occurrence of public disasters or
other crisis-level incidents; (b) one licensed health care professional who has
expertise in the treatment of the physical side-effects of, or illnesses or
injuries contributing to, PTSD; (c) one law enforcement officer who has
personal experience with PTSD; and (d) one emergency medical responder who is a
member of a volunteer first aid, ambulance or rescue squad and has personal
experience with PTSD;

���� (4)�� four public members to
be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly, as follows:� (a) one
representative of a nonprofit organization that provides community-based mental
health or related services to persons suffering from PTSD in the State; (b) one
licensed health care professional who has personal experience with PTSD; (c)
one firefighter who is a member of a volunteer fire company and has personal
experience with PTSD; and (d) one frontline worker who has personal experience
with PTSD; and

���� (5)�� four public members to
be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly, as follows:� (a)
one citizen who is trained and qualified to serve as a para-professional crisis
counselor in the State; (b) one licensed health care professional who has
personal experience with PTSD; (c) one non-volunteer firefighter who has
personal experience with PTSD; and (d) one frontline worker who has personal
experience with PTSD.

���� d.��� The members of the task
force shall serve until the task force submits its report pursuant to
subsection j. of this section.� Vacancies in the council�s membership shall be
filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments.�

���� e.���� The task force shall
organize as soon as practicable, but not more than 30 days, after the
appointment of a majority of its members and shall meet at the times and places
designated by its co-chairs.� The task force may conduct business without a
quorum, but may only vote on a recommendation when a quorum is present.

���� f.���� Members of the task
force shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for travel and
other miscellaneous expenses incurred in the necessary performance of their
duties, within the limits of funds made available to the council for its
purposes.�

���� g.��� The task force shall be
entitled to receive assistance and services from any State, county, or
municipal department, board, commission, or agency as it may require and as may
be available to it for its purposes.� The task force shall further be authorized
to consult with any association, organization, or individual having knowledge
of the causes or effects of PTSD or experience with the identification or
treatment of PTSD. �The Department of Human Services shall provide staff and
administrative support as may be necessary to assist the task force in carrying
out its duties.�

���� h.��� The task force may
solicit, receive, and expend any grant moneys or other funds that may be made
available, for the task force�s purposes, by any government agency or any
private for-profit or not-for-profit organization or entity.

���� i.���� The task force shall
have the duty to:

���� (1)�� identify and evaluate
the causes of, the factors that contribute to, and the mental and physical
effects of, pandemic PTSD in first responders, health care professionals, and
other frontline workers;

���� (2)�� estimate the current
prevalence of pandemic PTSD among first responders, health care professionals,
and other frontline workers, as well as the likelihood of future cases;

���� (3)�� develop best practices
for the identification and treatment of pandemic PTSD in first responders,
health care professionals, and other frontline workers;

���� (4)�� identify and approve
new, alternative, and innovative means and methods of diagnosing and treating
pandemic PTSD in first responders, health care professionals, and other
frontline workers; and

���� (5)�� identify policies,
practices, services, resources, and funding sources that can be used to:� (a)
enhance the ability of health care and mental health care professionals to
identify, diagnose the severity of, and appropriately treat, pandemic PTSD and
its side effects; (b) facilitate the Statewide implementation and use of the
best practices and diagnostic and treatment methods identified by the task
force pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) of this subsection; (c) enhance the
ability of employers to identify and provide appropriate assistance to
employees who may be suffering from pandemic PTSD; (d) facilitate the
cooperative and integrated provision of physical and behavioral health care in
association with the treatment of pandemic PTSD and associated injuries,
illnesses, or side effects in first responders, health care professionals, and
other frontline workers; (e) increase the type and availability of community
supports that are available to assist first responders, health care
professionals, and other frontline workers in successfully coping with and
overcoming pandemic PTSD; (f) increase public awareness of pandemic PTSD
occurring among first responders, health care professionals, and other
frontline workers; (g) improve the accessibility of care and treatment for
pandemic PTSD; (h) enhance the ability of first responders, health care
professionals, other frontline workers, and their families to recognize
symptoms of pandemic PTSD, identify the need for treatment, and seek out
appropriate treatment when needed; (i) remove any professional or other stigma
associated with the receipt of treatment for pandemic PTSD; and (j) otherwise
enable the State to promptly address and mitigate the effects of pandemic PTSD
on first responders, health care professionals, and other frontline workers.

���� j.���� Not later than 12
months after its organizational meeting pursuant to subsection e. of this
section, the task force shall prepare and submit a written report to the
Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the
Legislature, providing its findings and recommendations with respect to the
issues under its purview.� A copy of the report submitted pursuant to this
section shall be posted on the Internet websites of the Departments of Law and
Public Safety, Human Services, and Health.� The report prepared pursuant to
this subsection shall:

���� (1)�� describe the task
force�s findings on the matters described in paragraphs (1) and (2) of
subsection i. of this section;

���� (2)�� identify the best
practices that have been developed and the new, alternative, and innovative
diagnostic and treatment methods that have been approved by the task force
pursuant to paragraphs (3) and (4) of subsection i. of this section, and
provide data and other appropriate evidence to support the adoption of each
best practice and the approval of each diagnostic and treatment method; and

���� (3)�� provide recommendations
for legislative, executive, or other actions that can be undertaken to
effectuate the goals described in paragraph (5) of subsection i. of this
section.

���� k.��� The task force shall
dissolve on the 30th day following the submission of its report pursuant to
subsection b. of this section.

���� 2.��� This act shall take
effect immediately and shall expire on the 30th day following the submission of
a task force report to the Governor and Legislature pursuant to subsection j.
of section 1 of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would temporarily
establish a Pandemic PTSD Task Force in the Department of Human Services.� The
purpose of the task force will be to:� 1) evaluate the prevalence and
likelihood of, and develop best practices for the identification and treatment
of, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in first responders, health care
professionals, and other frontline workers who have engaged in the provision of
health care services, emergency response services, or other essential or key
public services during a pandemic; and 2) recommend the implementation and use
of appropriate treatments and supports to mitigate, eliminate, and otherwise
reduce the effects of pandemic PTSD on these workers.

���� The task force will be
composed of 21 members and will have the duty to:

���� 1)��� identify and evaluate
the causes of, the factors that contribute to, and the mental and physical
effects of, pandemic PTSD in first responders, health care professionals, and
other frontline workers;

���� 2)��� estimate the current
prevalence of pandemic PTSD among these workers, as well as the likelihood of
future cases;

���� 3)��� develop best practices
for the identification and treatment of pandemic PTSD;

���� 4)��� identify and approve
new, alternative, and innovative means and methods of diagnosing and treating
pandemic PTSD; and

���� 5)��� identify policies,
practices, services, resources, and funding sources that can be used to:�
enhance the ability of health care and mental health care professionals to
identify, diagnose the severity of, and appropriately treat, pandemic PTSD and
its side effects in first responders, health care professionals, and other
frontline workers; facilitate the Statewide implementation and use of the best
practices and diagnostic and treatment methods identified by the task force;
enhance the ability of employers to identify and provide appropriate assistance
to employees who may be suffering from pandemic PTSD; facilitate the
cooperative and integrated provision of physical and behavioral health care in
association with the treatment of pandemic PTSD and associated injuries,
illnesses, or side effects in first responders, health care professionals, and
other frontline workers; increase the type and availability of community
supports that are available to help first responders, health care
professionals, and other frontline workers successfully cope with and overcome
pandemic PTSD; increase public awareness of pandemic PTSD; improve the
accessibility of care and treatment for pandemic PTSD; enhance the ability of
first responders, health care professionals, other frontline workers, and their
families to recognize symptoms of pandemic PTSD, identify the need for
treatment, and seek out appropriate treatment when needed; remove any
professional or other stigma associated with the receipt of treatment for
pandemic PTSD; and otherwise enable the State to promptly address and mitigate
the effects of pandemic PTSD on the community.

���� Not later than 12 months after
its organizational meeting, the task force will be required to prepare and
submit, to the Governor and the Legislature, a written report of its findings
and recommendations in relation to the issues under its purview.� A copy of the
report will also be posted on the Internet websites of the Departments of Law
and Public Safety, Human Services, and Health.� The report would be required to
include:� 1) the task force�s findings regarding the causes, effects, and
factors contributing to pandemic PTSD and the prevalence and likelihood of
future occurrence of pandemic PTSD among first responders, health care
professionals, and other frontline workers in the State; 2) a description of
the best practices that have been developed and the new, alternative, and
innovative diagnostic and treatment methods that have been approved by the task
force pursuant to the bill�s provisions, together with data and other
appropriate evidence to support the adoption of each best practice and the approval
of each diagnostic and treatment method; and 3) recommendations for
legislative, executive, or other actions that can be undertaken to effectuate
the goals described in the bill.

���� The task force will dissolve,
and the bill will expire, on the 30th day following the submission of the task
force�s report.