A 2755

ASSEMBLY, No. 2755
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
222nd LEGISLATURE
�
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman ANDREA KATZ
District 8 (Atlantic and Burlington)
Assemblywoman YVONNE LOPEZ
District 19 (Middlesex)
Assemblywoman MITCHELLE DRULIS
District 16 (Hunterdon, Mercer, Middlesex and Somerset)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman Swain and Assemblyman Tully
SYNOPSIS
���� Requires State domestic violence public awareness
campaign to add information on coercive control; requires annual reporting on
activities of campaign and expands range of languages.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative
Counsel.
��
An Act concerning the State domestic violence public
awareness campaign, and amending P.L.2005, c.204.
���� Be It
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of
the State of New Jersey:
���� 1.� Section 2 of P.L.2005,
c.204 (C.52:27D-43.36) is amended to read as follows:
���� 2.� a.� The Director of the
Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families, in consultation
with the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence and the Commissioners of Human
Services and Health and Senior Services, shall establish a domestic violence
public awareness campaign in order to promote public awareness of domestic
violence among the general public and health care and social services
professionals and provide information to assist victims of domestic violence
and their children.
���� b.� The public awareness
campaign shall include the development and implementation of public awareness
and outreach efforts to promote domestic violence prevention and education,
including, but not limited to, the following subjects:
���� (1)� the causes and nature of
domestic violence;
���� (2)� risk factors,
including, subject to the availability of funds, the recognition of the
indicators of coercive control, as that term is used in paragraph (7) of
subsection a. of section 13 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-29);
���� (3)� preventive measures; and
���� (4)� the availability of, and
how to access, services in the community for victims of domestic violence,
including, but not limited to, shelter services, legal advocacy services, and
legal assistance services.
���� c.� The director shall
coordinate the efforts of the division with any activities being undertaken by
other State agencies to promote public awareness of, and provide information to
the public about, domestic violence.
���� d.� The director, within the
limits of funds available for this purpose, shall seek to utilize electronic
and print media, and may prepare and disseminate such written information as
the director deems necessary, to accomplish the purposes of P.L.2005, c.204
(C.52:27D-43.35 et seq.).
���� e.� The division shall make
available electronically on its Internet website in English, [and] Spanish,
and such other languages as the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence may
recommend, information about domestic violence as described in subsection
b. of this section.
���� f.� The director may accept,
for the purposes of the public awareness campaign, any special grant of funds,
services, or property from the federal government or any of its agencies, or
from any foundation, organization, or other entity.� The director�s
acceptance of such funds, services, or property shall not diminish any State
funds appropriated to the public awareness campaign.
���� g. The director shall report
to the Governor and the Legislature, no later than 18 months after the
effective date of P.L.2005, c.204 (C.52:27D-43.35 et seq.), and annually
thereafter, on the activities and accomplishments of the public awareness
campaign.
(cf: P.L.2012, c.16, s.156)
���� 2.� This act shall take effect
immediately.
STATEMENT
����� This bill requires the State domestic violence public
awareness campaign by the Division on Women in the Department of Children and
Families, created pursuant to N.J.S.A.52:27D-43.36, to also include, subject to
the availability of funds, information concerning the recognition of the
indicators of coercive control.
����� Under current law, indicators of coercive control by
an abuser include, but are not limited to:
����� (1) isolating a person from friends, relatives,
transportation, medical care, or other source of support;
����� (2) depriving a person of basic necessities;
����� (3) monitoring a person�s movements, communications,
daily behavior, finances, economic resources, or access to services;
����� (4) compelling a person by force, threat, or
intimidation, including, but not limited to, threats based on actual or
suspected immigration status;
����� (5) threatening to make or making baseless reports to
the police, courts, the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP)
within the Department of Children and Families, the Board of Social Services,
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), or other parties;
����� (6) threatening to harm or kill an individual�s
relative or pet; and
����� (7) threatening to deny or interfere with an
individual�s child custody or parenting time, other than through enforcement of
a valid custody arrangement or court order.
����� Additionally, the bill expands the range of languages
for the public awareness campaign beyond English and Spanish to include other
languages that the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence may recommend, and
requires the Director of the Division on Women to report annually on the
activities of the campaign.� As amended, the bill further provides that outside
funding from the federal government or private organizations accepted by the
Director of the Division on Women for the campaign will not diminish any State
funds appropriated to the campaign.