Requires long-term care facilities to provide its employees with necessary supplies and equipment at no cost.

S4503

SENATE, No. 4503

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

�

INTRODUCED JUNE 22, 2026

Sponsored by:

Senator� VIN GOPAL

District 11 (Monmouth)

SYNOPSIS

���� Requires long-term care facilities to provide its
employees with necessary supplies and equipment at no cost.�

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

���� As introduced.

��

An Act
concerning long-term care facilities, and supplementing
Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� This act shall be known
and may be cited as the �Employer Responsibility for Essential Supplies Act.�

���� 2.��� a. A long-term care
facility operating in this State shall provide its employees all equipment and
supplies necessary for the employee to perform the essential functions required
of the employee.� The long-term care facility shall provide such equipment and
supplies at no cost to the employee.� Face masks and gloves shall be considered
necessary equipment for an employee of a long-term care facility.

���� A facility shall maintain
sufficient quantity and quality of such equipment and supplies to ensure
sanitary conditions, effective infection prevention and control, resident
dignity, adequate nutrition, and safe working conditions for its employees.�
Equipment and supplies provided pursuant to this act shall be maintained in a
usable, sanitary, and functional condition and shall not be expired, diluted,
defective, or otherwise inadequate for its intended purposes.�

���� b.��� The Department of Health
shall establish a process for confirming compliance with the provisions of this
act.� At minimum, the department shall confirm compliance monthly. A long-term
care facility that does not comply with the provisions of this act shall be
fined $3,000 per day for a violation, and the Commissioner of Health may take
any adverse licensure action the commissioner deems appropriate.� A penalty
imposed pursuant to this section shall be collected by the commissioner in a
summary proceeding before a court of competent jurisdiction pursuant to the
provisions of the �Penalty Enforcement Law of 1999,� P.L.1999, c.274
(C.2A:58-10 et seq.).

���� c.���� As used in this act:

���� �Equipment and supplies� means
the materials necessary to maintain safe operations, effective infection
prevention and sanitation protocols, and dietary and resident care services
within a long-term care facility.� The term shall include, but not be limited
to:� personal protective equipment; cleaning and disinfecting supplies; linens;
towels; bedsheets; blankets; laundry supplies; resident hygiene products
including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant, shampoo, conditioner, soap,
incontinence products, and feminine hygiene products; and food, grocery, and
dietary supplies necessary for meal preparation and nutritional services.�

���� It shall not mean closed-toe shoes
or scrubs unless the facility requires a specific type, color, or brand of shoe
or scrub.� If the facility requires scrubs to be a specific type, color, or
brand, the facility shall provide at least two sets of the scrubs to the
employee at no cost.

���� �Long-term care facility�
means a nursing home, assisted living residence, comprehensive personal care
home, residential health care facility, or dementia care home licensed pursuant
to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.).�

���� 3.��� The Commissioner of
Health shall promulgate rules and regulations, including rules and regulations
concerning equipment and supplies consistent with section 2 of this act,
necessary to effectuate the provisions of this act.

���� 4.��� This act shall take
effect 30 days from the date of enactment, except the Commissioner of Health
may take any anticipatory action in advance as necessary for the implementation
of this act.

STATEMENT

���� This bill would require all
long-term care facilities to provide all necessary equipment and protective
supplies for its employees at no cost to the employee.� The bill would also
require the Department of Health (department) to establish a process to review
and enforce the provisions of this bill, and would require that the department
fine the facility for non-compliance.� Additionally, the bill authorizes the
Commissioner of Health to take any negative licensure action the commissioner
deems appropriate for non-compliance.

���� As used in the bill,
�long-term care facility� is defined as a nursing home, assisted living
residence, comprehensive personal care home, residential health care facility,
or dementia care home licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et al.),
and �equipment and supplies� means the materials necessary to maintain safe
operations, effective infection prevention and sanitation protocols, and
dietary and resident care services within a long-term care facility.� The term
includes, but is not limited to:� personal protective equipment; cleaning and
disinfecting supplies; linens; towels; bedsheets; blankets; laundry supplies;
resident hygiene products including toothpaste, toothbrushes, deodorant,
shampoo, conditioner, soap, incontinence products, and feminine hygiene
products; and food, grocery, and dietary supplies necessary for meal
preparation and nutritional services.� The term does not include closed-toe shoes
or scrubs unless the facility requires a specific type, color, or brand of shoe
or scrub.� If the facility requires scrubs to be a specific type, color, or
brand, the facility must provide at least two sets of the scrubs to the
employee at no cost.