Bill Text: NJ A502 | 2024-2025 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Bars sex offenders from jobs which primarily consist of contact with children.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 4-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-16 - Reported and Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee [A502 Detail]

Download: New_Jersey-2024-A502-Introduced.html

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ASSEMBLY, No. 502

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

221st LEGISLATURE

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION

 

 

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman  WAYNE P. DEANGELO

District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)

 

Co-Sponsored by:

Assemblywomen Haider and Park

 

 

 

 

SYNOPSIS

     Bars sex offenders from jobs which primarily consist of contact with children.

 

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT

     Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.

  

An Act concerning prohibitions on the acts of certain sex offenders and supplementing Title 2C of the New Jersey Statutes.

 

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

 

     1.    As used in this act:

     "Primarily consists of contact with children" means 80 percent or more of the actual or official duties or responsibilities include contact with a child.

     "Sex offender" means a person who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity for commission of a sex offense as defined in subsection b. of section 2 of P.L.1994, c.133 (C.2C:7-2).

 

     2.    a.  It shall be a crime of the third degree for a sex offender to hold a job which primarily consists of contact with children.

     b.    It shall be a crime of the third degree to knowingly hire a sex offender for a job which primarily consists of contact with children.

     c.     The provisions of this act shall not apply to participation by a sex offender under 18 years of age in a job which provides rehabilitative or other services to juvenile sex offenders.

 

     3.    This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

     This bill is intended to protect the children and youth of this State by prohibiting sex offenders from holding jobs which primarily consist of contact with children.

     The bill defines a "primarily consists of contact with children" as a job where 80 percent or more of the actual or official duties or responsibilities include contact with a child.

     "Sex offender" is defined as a person who has been convicted, adjudicated delinquent or found not guilty by reason of insanity for committing a broad range of sexual offenses as defined in the sex offender registration law (Megan's Law).

     Under the bill, it would be crime of the third degree for a sex offender to hold a job which primarily consists of contact with children.  It would also be a crime of the third degree for a person to knowingly hire a sex offender for a job which primarily consists of contact with children.

     A crime of the third degree carries a penalty of three to five years imprisonment, a fine of up to $15,000, or both.