Bill > A2382

Introduced Session

This bill establishes the Community Crisis Response Advisory Council and a pilot program to permit municipalities and community-based organizations to operate community crisis response teams. The bill establishes the council in the Department of Health to provide the department with best practices and recommendations concerning the development of a community crisis response program. Under the bill, the council would consist of 13 members, as follows: (1) the Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Services, the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of HIV, STD and TB Services, and the Director of Emergency Medical Services in the Department of Health, or their designees, serving ex officio; (2) the Attorney General or a designee, serving ex officio; (3) the Executive Director of the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance in the Department of Law and Public Safety, or a designee, serving ex officio; (4) the Director of the Division of Fire Safety in the Department of Community Affairs, or a designee, servicing ex officio; and (5) seven public members of the council to be appointed by the Governor, with two members appointed upon recommendation of the Senate President and two members appointed upon recommendation of the Speaker of the General Assembly. The seven public members would consist of one or more members who: have prior involvement with the criminal justice system; have expertise in crisis response, harm reduction services, or both; have experience advocating for their communities; and represent New Jersey-based social justice and civil rights organizations specializing in criminal justice reform. The bill requires the Commissioner of Health to establish a pilot program in Camden, Essex, Mercer, Middlesex, and Passaic Counties to permit eligible municipalities and community-based organizations to operate community crisis response teams. Under the bill, a community crisis response team is defined as a team that provides professional on-site community-based intervention such as outreach, de-escalation, stabilization, resource connection, and follow-up support for individuals who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis, including certified peer counselors as a best practice to the extent practicable. The commissioner is required to develop a grant program for eligible municipalities and community-based organizations, awarding up to $2 million per eligible applicant annually. To be eligible to receive a grant pursuant to the pilot program: (1) a municipality is required to be a municipality of the first class in Essex and Passaic Counties, a municipality of the second class having a population of more than 70,000 and density of 8,000 to 12,000 according to the 2020 federal decennial census in Camden and Mercer counties, and a municipality of the second class having a population of more than 55,000 and density of between 10,000 and 11,000 according to the 2020 federal decennial census in Middlesex County; and (2) a community-based organization is required to be located in a municipality that meets the eligibility criteria. Additionally, an applicant is required to demonstrate an established relationship with a State-approved harm reduction center or reliable access to other harm reduction services. The department would be required to prioritize issuing grants to applicants that currently operate as violence interrupters and have a demonstrated process for engaging members of the community and receiving public comments with respect to its community crisis r The bill requires the commissioner to submit an annual report to the Governor and the Legislature on the status of the pilot program. Three years following the date of enactment, the commissioner, in collaboration with the council, would be required to submit a final report to the Governor and the Legislature on the outcomes resulting from the pilot program and recommendations for the actions necessary to support the continuation and expansion of community crisis response models in the State of New Jersey. The bill appropriates $10 million and provides that grants awarded under the pilot program to applicants in each eligible municipality are not to exceed $2 million per municipality.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Verlina Reynolds-Jackson (D)*,  Bill Spearman (D)*,  Shavonda Sumter (D)*,  Linda Carter (D),  Benjie Wimberly (D), 

Withdrawn Because Approved P.L.2023, c.259. (on 01/09/2024)

Official Document