New Jersey State Bar Association headquarters New Jersey State Bar Association headquarters at 1 Constitution Square, New Brunswick, NJ. Credit: Google

Capitol Report

NJSBA-monitored bills advance to governor

Several bills the New Jersey State Bar Association (NJSBA) has been monitoring advanced to the governor's office. Here is an update on the purpose and status of the bills:

A3707 (Coughlin)/S2395 (Scutari)—New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect. The governor signed into law a bill that implements a court order to end the federal oversight of New Jersey's child welfare system. The bill expands the role of the Staffing and Oversight Review Subcommittee of the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect to serve in the review capacity that the federal monitor currently performs. The NJSBA supported the bill with an amendment to create a dedicated NJSBA seat.

Though the bill was not amended to provide a specific designation for an NJSBA member, it includes designated seats for attorneys engaged in the representation of parents in child protection matters, the indigent and of children in out-of-home placement. In addition, the new law creates funding for the committee to hire independent, contracted staff or other resources to meet the responsibilities. Finally, the bill fixes average daily caseloads of child protection workers and implements measures to enforce this standard.