Establishes Commission on Black Women and Girls.

S4180

SENATE, No. 4180

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� BENJIE E. WIMBERLY

District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)

Senator� ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Establishes Commission on Black Women and Girls.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
establishing the Commission on Black Women and Girls
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. The �Commission on
Black Women and Girls� is established.� For the purposes of complying with the
provisions of Article V, Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey
Constitution, the commission is allocated within the Department of Children and
Families, but, notwithstanding this allocation, the commission shall be
independent of any supervision or control by the department or by any officer
or employee thereof.

���� b.��� The commission shall be
composed of 11 members as follows:

���� (1)�� the Commissioner of
Health, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (2)�� the Director of the
Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, ex officio, or a
designee;

���� (3)�� the Commissioner of
Human Services, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (4)�� the Commissioner of
Education, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (5)�� the Commissioner of
Labor and Workforce Development, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (6)�� the Director of the
Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and Public Safety, ex
officio, or a designee;

���� (7)�� the Commissioner of
Community Affairs, ex officio, or a designee;

���� (8)�� the Public Defender, ex
officio, or a designee; and

���� (9)�� three public members who
shall be appointed by the Governor.� One member shall have a background in
medical research.� Two members shall be appointed from community-based
organizations and have a background working on culturally specific issues
unique to the needs of Black women and girls.� The Governor shall make
appointments to the commission within 30 days after the effective date of this
act.

���� c.���� Each public member
shall serve for a term of four years and until the appointment and
qualification of a successor; except that, of the members first appointed, one
shall be appointed for a two-year term, one shall be appointed for a three-year
term, and one shall be appointed for a four-year term.

���� d.��� The commission shall
organize within 60 days after the effective date of this act.� The members
shall annually elect one member to serve as chair.� The chair may appoint a
secretary, who need not be a member of the commission.

���� e.���� Vacancies on the
commission shall be filled for the unexpired terms in the same manner as
original appointments. Members of the commission shall be eligible for
reappointment to the commission.

���� f.���� A member of the
commission may be removed by the Governor only for good cause.

���� g.��� The members of the
commission shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for
necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties to
the extent that funds are made available for that purpose.

���� h.��� The Division on Women in
the Department of Children and Families shall provide stenographic, clerical,
and other administrative assistance and professional staff as the commission
requires to carry out its work.

���� i.���� All State, county, and
municipal government entities shall provide information to the commission that
the commission requests to carry out its duties under this act.

���� 2.��� a. The commission shall
identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives related to education
that State, county, or municipal governments may adopt with respect to the
following:

���� (1)�� community-led education
and support for Black girls in kindergarten through grade 12, including:

���� (a)�� social and emotional
learning programs, including those that employ facilitators trained in
identity-based dialogue;

���� (b)�� support for girls who
have a parent or guardian who is incarcerated or has a substance use disorder;

���� (c)�� support for a college
scholarship fund and programs to increase access to post-secondary education
for Black children of incarcerated parents;

���� (d)�� classroom and after
school empowerment programs for Black girls;

���� (e)�� community-led civic
engagement and community organizing education;

���� (f)�� classroom and
community-led art; theater; and Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math
(STEM) learning centers;

���� (g)�� school-based and
community-based programs that employ trained de-escalation professionals and
eliminate the detention and incarceration of school-aged children;

���� (h)�� facilitating household
access to school-based communication technologies;

���� (i)��� school-based or
community-based restorative justice programs as an alternative to expulsion of
girls from school;

���� (j)��� curriculum, tutoring,
and activities support for homeschooling and virtual learning families; and

���� (k)�� school-based or
community-based programs on comprehensive, age-appropriate, sexual health
education, which teaches about consent and healthy relationships across the
spectrum;

���� (2)�� community-led education
for Black women, which includes information on:

���� (a)�� household access to data
and communication technologies to narrow the digital divide and enhance access
to higher education;

���� (b)�� emotional support
trainings for Black mothers, parents, or other guardians on child development
and behavioral and discipline management; and

���� (c)�� programs that support
immigrant women, including English learning courses, citizenship preparation
courses, and General Educational Development (GED) test courses;

���� (3)�� school-based and
community-based restorative and transformative justice curriculums and spaces;

���� (4)�� prohibiting religious
discrimination against Black Muslim girls in kindergarten through grade 12,
including policies that:

���� (a)�� allow girls to wear
cultural and religious garments at all times;

���� (b)�� excuse absences for
Muslim girls during religious holidays; and

���� (c)�� encourage educators to
avoid scheduling exams during Muslim holidays that require fasting;

���� (5)�� supporting Black girls
in kindergarten through grade 12 with learning, developmental, and emotional
disabilities that may pose an obstacle to learning and excelling in academics
and supporting the parents of these girls; and

���� (6)�� support for the mother,
parent, or other guardian of a Black girl with a disability.

���� b.��� The commission shall
identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives related to labor and
workforce development that State, county, or municipal governments may adopt
with respect to the following:

���� (1)�� careers in the skilled
trades and transportation, including pre-apprenticeship, nontraditional, and
career exploration programs;

���� (2)�� giving priority, to the
extent allowed under federal law, to Black women-owned businesses that qualify
as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise when awarding yearly and multi-year
contract dollars;

���� (3)�� entrepreneurship and
cooperative business training for Black women;

���� (4)�� support for low-income
Black women workers;

���� (5)�� career mentorship for
Black women;

���� (6)�� support for Black women
workers who enter the workforce over the age of 50;

���� (7)�� support for Black women
reentering the workforce after leaving to care for a dependent, such as an
elderly relative or child;

���� (8)�� increasing sustainable
employment for households headed by Black women;

���� (9)�� limiting barriers to
occupational licensure for Black women;

���� (10) vocational training and
career technical education;

���� (11) career and job placement
assistance for Black girls experiencing homelessness or discrimination; and

���� (12) support for Black women
and girls with disabilities entering the workforce.

���� c.���� The commission shall
identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives related to healthcare
that State, county, or municipal governments may adopt with respect to the
following:

���� (1)�� studying the health,
including the mental health, of Black women and girls;

���� (2)�� improving maternal
health from the prenatal to postpartum period and infant mortality outcomes for
Black mothers and children;

���� (3)�� community-based, on
demand mental health and trauma services;

���� (4)�� providing gender and
culturally responsive treatment to Black women and children who have
experienced domestic violence and interpersonal violence;

���� (5)�� long-term, on demand
substance use disorder treatment;

���� (6)�� community-based
emergency response teams for Black women and girls;

���� (7)�� access to comprehensive
well-women care, including local testing for mammograms, pap smears, and
sexually transmitted infections, and general health screenings for Black women
and girls;

���� (8)�� local neighborhood
COVID-19 testing; and

���� (9)�� programs to assist Black
women with a disability and the Black mothers, parents, or other guardians of a
child with a disability with obtaining affordable health insurance.

���� d.��� The commission shall
identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives related to justice
for and the civil rights of Black women and girls that State, county, or
municipal governments may adopt with respect to the following:

���� (1)�� reentry assistance,
reunification planning, and community-based programming for Black women who
experienced sexual, domestic, or intimate partner violence; were imprisoned for
or involved with the Division of Child Protection and Permanency because of drug-related
activity; or have a mental illness or substance use disorder;

���� (2)�� promoting the treatment
of the underlying problems Black women and girls face as an alternative to
incarceration, such as by expanding the use of diversion programs, and
expanding the use of parole;

���� (3)�� preventing the
incarceration of Black mothers and other guardians who are the primary
caretakers of minor children;

���� (4)�� access to legal and
other assistance provided by domestic violence programs during proceedings
involving the Division of Child Protection and Permanency;

���� (5)�� funding that enables
communities to reimagine community-based programming;

���� (6)�� support for formerly
incarcerated Black women, including support provided by community-led
organizations;

���� (7)�� permitting formerly
incarcerated and convicted Black women to be eligible to serve as a foster
parent.� The commission shall not consider any programs, policies, or
incentives that would allow a person to serve as a foster parent if the person
has been convicted of: a violent crime, including a crime where the person used
or threatened to use a deadly weapon as defined in N.J.S.2C:11-1, caused death,
or caused serious bodily injury as defined in N.J.S.2C:11-1; human trafficking
in violation of section 1 of P.L.2005, c.77 (C.2C:13-8); or a sex offense as
defined in section 2 of P.L.1994, c.133 (C.2C:7-2);

���� (8)�� judicial discretion in
sentencing and the procedures for resentencing;

���� (9)�� reforming and limiting
laws that require a mandatory minimum sentence;

���� (10) vacating judgments and
expunging criminal offenses committed by victims of human and sex trafficking;
and

���� (11) promoting alternatives to
imprisonment for Black women with disabilities, including mental healthcare
treatment, especially for nonviolent crimes.

���� e.���� The commission shall
identify and recommend programs, policies, and incentives related to housing
that State, county, or municipal governments may adopt with respect to the
following:

���� (1)�� increasing access to:

���� (a)�� permanent and
transitional housing for Black women with children, formerly incarcerated Black
women, Black women with disabilities, and elderly Black women;

���� (b)�� legal representation for
Black women with children and other Black women facing eviction; and

���� (c)�� homeownership assistance
funding for Black women;

���� (2)�� increasing accessibility
and availability of long-term neighborhood transitional and permanent
supportive housing for Black women reentering the community following
incarceration; and

���� (3)�� local neighborhood safe
houses and other housing options for Black women and children who experience
domestic or interpersonal violence.

���� f.���� The commission may
identify and recommend any other program, policy, or incentive that State,
county, or municipal governments may adopt that will benefit Black women and
girls.

���� g.��� (1) Within one year of
organizing, the commission shall submit a report to the Legislature in
accordance with section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1) describing the
activities undertaken by the commission pursuant to this section.� The
commission shall submit a report describing its activities annually thereafter.

���� (2)�� Within two years of
organizing, the commission shall submit to the Legislature, the Governor, and
each relevant executive branch department and agency in this State
recommendations on policies, practices, programs, and incentives that may be
adopted to improve outcomes for Black women and girls.� The commission shall
submit recommendations annually thereafter.

���� 3.��� a. Biennially, the
commission shall conduct a comprehensive study and collect data with respect to
the effects, or anticipated effects, of the following on Black women and girls:

���� (1)�� the existence of any
lacking contract opportunities with State, county, and municipal governments;

���� (2)�� the wage gap and pay
equity;

���� (3)�� the high maternal
mortality rate and the steps needed to reduce the rate;

���� (4)�� the high infant
mortality rate;

���� (5)�� the impact of screening
for breast cancer at an earlier age than 40 years;

���� (6)�� the school-to-prison
pipeline and its impact on Black women and girls, including Black women and
girls with disabilities;

���� (7)�� housing stability,
homelessness, and access to affordable rental housing and home loans;

���� (8)�� the prevalence and rate
of violence, including domestic and intimate partner violence, against Black
women and girls, including Black transgender women and girls; the effectiveness
of violence prevention strategies; and the barriers to accessing services that
prevent violence;

���� (9)�� excessive use of force
by law enforcement, including when death results, against Black women and
girls, including Black transgender women and girls;

���� (10) the over-incarceration of
Black women and girls, including Black transgender women and girls, in the
youth and adult justice systems;

���� (11) establishing a moratorium
on building any new women�s prisons;

���� (12) repealing the �Adoption
Safe Families Act of 1997,� Pub.L. 105-89, and P.L.1999, c.53, the State
corollary law;

���� (13) repealing any policy or
law that creates a barrier to housing or precludes formerly incarcerated people
from living with family members in public or private housing;

���� (14) neighborhood family
reunification support;

���� (15) the high rate of human
trafficking of Black women and girls and the impact of the State vacating
judgments and expunging laws for victims of human trafficking; and

���� (16) any additional issues
that the commission deems appropriate.

���� b.��� Within two years of
organizing, the commission shall submit to the Legislature, pursuant to section
2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), and to the Governor a report describing
its findings and activities pursuant to this section.� The commission shall
submit and publish a report describing its findings and activities biennially
thereafter.� The commission shall make each report publicly available.

���� c.���� Any data reported
pursuant to this section shall be de-identified, aggregated, and handled in a
manner consistent with federal and State privacy laws.

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

STATEMENT

���� This bill establishes the
Commission on Black Women and Girls.� The commission is to study various issues
and identify and make recommendations related to various policies, programs,
and incentives that would impact Black women and girls.� To comply with the New
Jersey Constitution, the commission is allocated within the Department of
Children and Families (DCF) but acts independently of DCF.�

���� The commission is composed of
the following members: 1) the Commissioner of Health, 2) the Director of the
Division on Women in DCF, 3) the Commissioner of Human Services, 4) the
Commissioner of Education, 5) the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development,
6) the Director of the Division on Civil Rights in the Department of Law and
Public Safety, 7) the Commissioner of Community Affairs, 8) the Public
Defender, and 9) three public members who are required to be appointed by the
Governor.� One public member is required to have a background in medical
research, and two public members are required to be appointed from
community-based organizations that work on culturally specific issues unique to
Black women and girls.� The public members serve on the commission for four
years except for the first public members, who are appointed for staggered
terms.

���� Under the bill, the commission
is required to identify and recommend any programs, policies, and incentives
that State, county, or municipal governments can adopt to eliminate barriers
and facilitate success for Black women and children in the following areas: 1)
education, 2) labor and workforce development, 3) healthcare, 4) justice and
civil rights, and 5) housing.� Throughout the bill, the commission is required
to consider various topics that impact Black women and girls, such as
community-led services; incarceration; restorative justice; child welfare;
substance use disorder; physical, mental, and emotional disabilities; mental
health; and domestic violence.� The commission is also required to annually
submit reports and recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and relevant
executive branch departments and agencies.

���� Additionally, the commission
is required to conduct a comprehensive study and collect data every other year
on a variety of topics that impact Black women and girls.� Every other year,
the commission is also required to submit to the Governor and Legislature, and
make publicly available, a report describing the comprehensive study and data
collected.� The data included in each report is required to be aggregated and
de-identified.

���� Although the commission�s
focus is on eliminating barriers and facilitating success for Black women and
children specifically, the sponsor intends for the knowledge and understanding
developed by the commission pursuant to this bill to be applied more broadly to
improve the outcomes for all underserved populations.