Bill > A2531

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program" (program), to be administered by the Division on Women (division) in the Department of Children and Families. The purpose of the program is to incentivize businesses in New Jersey to offer support in goods and services to individuals who have been recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking, or attempted domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking (eligible individuals). The program allows the division to award tax credits, to be applied against the Corporation Business Tax or the New Jersey Gross Income Tax, to an eligible business in exchange for the eligible business's commitment to provide certain goods or services to eligible individuals. The bill requires the division, in consultation with Advisory Council on Domestic Violence (advisory council), to establish at least three support regions in New Jersey and adopt a domestic violence safety net plan for each region. The regional plans are required to give consideration to the existing governmental and nonprofit resources available to eligible individuals in a region and set priorities for which goods and services are still needed in that region, and consider how the public and private safety nets in each region can best be enhanced by the availability and provision of goods and services by eligible businesses. Under the bill, the division is required to consider, in developing each regional plan, the provision of: household essentials and clothing; technology security devices and services; communications devices and services; and housing and emergency accommodations. Under the bill, the division is required to accept program applications and awarding tax credits to eligible businesses that commit to providing goods or services to eligible individuals, consistent with an applicable regional plan. The value of all credits awarded by the division pursuant to the program in any State fiscal year is not to exceed $25,000,000. In addition to the annual $25,000,000 cap, the bill prohibits the division from approving the award of more than: $15,000,000 in tax credits related to housing and emergency accommodations; $10,000,000 in tax credits related to household essentials and clothing, technology security devices and services, and communications devices and services, combined; and $3,000,000 in tax credits related to other goods or services. The bill requires the division to develop tax credit allocation formulas to establish separate tax credit award goals for each category of support in each region of the State. The bill also establishes program application requirements and application review requirements. The bill requires that program agreements include certain provisions, as specified in the bill. The bill also requires the division, in consultation with the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, to develop standards for the award of tax credits to eligible businesses consistent with each program agreement, and develop procedures for the content and issuance of tax credit certificates to be awarded under the program. The director of the division, in consultation with the advisory council and the Director of the Division of Taxation in the Department of the Treasury, is required to adopt rules and regulations to effectuate the purposes of the bill. The bill requires the division to regularly collect and analyze information related to the efficacy of the program in supplementing the government and nonprofit safety net of support for individuals who are recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. The bill further requires the division to submit annual program reports to the Governor and to the Legislature. Each annual report is required to include recommendations to the Legislature for any changes to the program that would allow the division or eligible businesses to better support individuals who are recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking. Under the bill, the amount of the credits allowed against the taxes imposed are prohibited from exceeding 50 percent of the taxpayer's liability for tax, and may be carried over, if necessary, to the seven privilege periods or taxable years.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Carol Murphy (D)*, 

Introduced, Referred to Assembly Women and Children Committee (on 02/14/2022)

Official Document