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S4024 • 2026

Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.

Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.

Passed Legislature

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

Sponsor
Vitale, Joseph F.
Last action
2026-03-19
Official status
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens 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.

Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.

Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.

What This Bill Does

  • Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.
  • Topic: Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Fiscal note: This bill has not 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. 2026-03-19 New Jersey Legislature

    Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee

Official Summary Text

Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as professional misconduct for health care professionals.
Topic:
Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens
Fiscal note:
This bill has not been certified by OLS for a fiscal note.

Current Bill Text

Read the full stored bill text 
S4024

SENATE, No. 4024

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MARCH 19, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� JOSEPH F. VITALE

District 19 (Middlesex)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes act of disseminating misinformation as
professional misconduct for health care professionals.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act

concerning health misinformation and
supplementing Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� a. A health care
professional who engages in the dissemination of misinformation or
disinformation shall be deemed to have engaged in professional misconduct in
violation of subsection e. of section 8 of P.L.1978, c.73 (C.45:1-21) and shall
be subject to disciplinary action pursuant to P.L.1978, c.73
(C.45:1-14 et seq.).

���� b.� Each board shall establish
by rule or regulation:

���� (1)� the general causes which
constitute grounds for professional misconduct and disciplinary action pursuant
to subsection a. of this section; and

���� (2)� the appropriate
disciplinary actions that may be taken against a health care professional based
on the extent of the dissemination of misinformation or disinformation.

���� c.� As used in this section:

���� �Board� mean any professional
or occupational licensing board designated pursuant to section 2 of P.L. 1978,
c.73 (C.45:1-15) that licenses or certifies health care professionals in this
State.

���� �Disinformation� means
misinformation that is deliberately disseminated with malicious intent or an
intent to mislead.

���� �Disseminate� means the
conveyance of information, in the form of treatment or advice, by a health care
professional to a patient under the health care professional�s care.

���� �Health care professional�
means an individual licensed or certified to practice health care pursuant to
Title 45 of the Revised Statutes.

���� �Misinformation� means any
health-related claim of fact that is false and contradicted by contemporary
scientific consensus contrary to the standard of care.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the act
of disseminating misinformation or disinformation by a health care professional
as an act of professional misconduct subject to disciplinary action.� It is the
sponsor�s intent that this legislation will help combat health misinformation
and curb the spread of falsehoods that threaten the health and safety of New
Jersey residents.

���� The bill defines �disseminate�
to mean the conveyance of information, in the form of treatment or advice, from
a health care professional to a patient under the health care professional�s
care.� �Misinformation� means any health-related claim of fact that is false
and contradicted by contemporary scientific consensus contrary to the standard
of care.� �Disinformation� means misinformation that is deliberately
disseminated with malicious intent or an intent to mislead.