STATE OF NEW JERSEY
221st LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2024 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman ANTHONY S. VERRELLI
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblyman LOUIS D. GREENWALD
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblywoman SHAVONDA E. SUMTER
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblyman Conaway, Assemblywomen Lopez and Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Requires State and county correctional facilities to offer inmates hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning the testing of inmates for hepatitis B and hepatitis C and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Corrections shall, upon commencement of the period of confinement, offer blood testing for hepatitis B and hepatitis C to every inmate who is sentenced to a term of incarceration at a State correctional facility. An inmate shall not be required to submit to the testing.
2. The chief executive officer, warden, or keeper of any county correctional facility shall, upon commencement of the period of confinement, offer blood testing for hepatitis B and hepatitis C to each person incarcerated in the facility. An inmate shall not be required to submit to the testing.
3. The Commissioner of Corrections shall adopt rules and regulations pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.) to effectuate the purposes of sections 1 and 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).
4. This act shall take effect on the first day of the sixth month after enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill requires State and county correctional facilities to offer inmates hepatitis B and hepatitis C testing.
Under the bill, the Commissioner of Corrections and the chief executive officer, warden, or keeper of any county correctional facility are required to offer blood testing for hepatitis B and hepatitis C to every inmate who is sentenced to a term of incarceration at a State or county correctional facility.
The testing at State and county correctional facilities would be offered upon commencement of an inmate's period of confinement; however, an inmate is not to be required to submit to the testing.