Bill Text: NJ A4923 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Creates grant program in DOH to increase early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids; appropriates $5 million.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A4923 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A4923-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman KENYATTA STEWART
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Creates grant program in DOH to increase early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids; appropriates $5 million.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning uterine fibroids, supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. The Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, shall evaluate and recommend policies to the Governor, and pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, s.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature within one calendar year of the date of enactment of this act which ensure coverage for uterine fibroid screening and treatment under State-regulated health plans.
2. a. The Commissioner of Health shall establish a grant program to support research on increasing early detection of, and intervention for, uterine fibroids, and based on the results of such research and other relevant information, formulate evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies to increase early detection of uterine fibroids in health care settings. The commissioner, within 90 days of the effective date of this act, shall establish an application process for grants awarded pursuant to subsections b. and d. of this section, including provisions for the submission of a report one year following the disbursement of funds to the grant recipient and which report shall include a summary on the use of grant funds, tracking requirements pursuant to subsection e. of this section, and any results or conclusions drawn from the use of the funds, for organizations to apply for grant monies appropriated for the purposes of this act.
b. The commissioner shall distribute grant money, subject to the availability of funds, for organizations that:
(1) research early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids; and
(2) develop and implement public awareness campaigns for the early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids.
c. Within 27 months of the grant monies disbursed pursuant to subsection b. of this section, the commissioner shall: (1) establish and formulate evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies, informed by the results of the research reported by grant recipients pursuant to subsection b. of this act, to increase early detection of uterine fibroids in health care settings; and (2) develop education materials and training programs for health care providers on early detection and treatment of uterine fibroids. These strategies, materials, and programs shall be annually reviewed and updated as needed, and will be utilized to inform grants awarded pursuant to subsection d. of this section.
d. The commissioner shall additionally distribute grant money, subject to the availability of funds, to organizations for the following activities:
(1) screening procedures, including advanced gynecological imaging and payment thereof;
(2) patient navigation services;
(3) implementation of evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies proven to increase early detection of uterine fibroids in health care settings;
(4) facilitate access to health care settings;
(5) research, including clinical research trials, related to disparities in pain control and management in uterine fibroid surgical treatment; and
(6) research, including clinical research trials, related to Asherman's Syndrome, intrauterine adhesions, and other intrauterine conditions as determined appropriate by the commissioner.
In awarding grants under this act, the commissioner shall give priority to organizations applying in partnership with community-based organizations.
e. Grant recipients shall track:
(1) screening rates;
(2) early diagnosis rates;
(3) reduction in late-stage complications; and
(4) patient outcomes.
f. Within one year and annually thereafter, the commissioner shall submit a report to the Governor, and pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), to the Legislature detailing the grant recipients and the activities for which the money was awarded. As reports from grant recipients pursuant to this act become available, the commissioner shall also include a summary of such reports received in the calendar year prior to the submission deadline of this report to the Governor and the Legislature. The commissioner shall, upon request by the Governor or a member of the Legislature, may make available any original report submitted by a grant recipient, and may publish such reports on the Department of Health website.
3. There is established in the Department of the Treasury a nonlapsing, revolving fund that shall be known as the Uterine Fibroids Prevention Fund. The fund shall support the research and early detection of, and intervention for, uterine fibroids via grants distributed by the Commissioner of Health pursuant to section 2 of this act. Monies in the fund may be a combination of State, federal, and private funds. The State Treasurer shall be the custodian of the fund and all disbursements from the fund shall be made by the State Treasurer upon request by the Commissioner of Health. The monies in the fund shall be invested and reinvested by the Director of the Division of Investment in the Department of the Treasury in the same manner as other trust funds in the custody of the State Treasurer, in the manner provided by law. Interest received on the monies in the fund shall be credited to the fund.
4. There is appropriated from the General Fund to the Uterine Fibroids Prevention Fund the sum of $5,000,000 to administer the grant program as outlined in section 2 of this act.
5. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill creates a grant program within the Department of Health for the early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids. The Commissioner of Health (commissioner) would distribute monies from the program to promote research on the early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids.
Organizations that receive grant funds could use the monies for the following purposes:
� Researching the early detection of and interventions for uterine fibroids;
� Developing and implementing public awareness campaigns for the early detection of and intervention for uterine fibroids;
� Screening procedures, including advanced gynecological imaging and payment thereof;
� Patient navigation services;
� Implementing evidence-based or evidence-informed strategies proven to increase early detection of uterine fibroids;
� Facilitating access to health care settings;
� Researching, including clinical research trials, related to disparities in pain control and management in uterine fibroid surgical treatment; and
� Researching, including clinical research trials, related to Asherman's Syndrome, intrauterine adhesions, and other intrauterine conditions as determined appropriate by the commissioner.
The grant recipients would be required to submit a report to the commissioner on the use of the funds. The commissioner would be required to submit a yearly report to the Governor and the Legislature on the names and purposes for which an organization received funding in the previous year, and a summarization of the reports received from the organizations.
The bill also creates a nonlapsing, revolving fund, the Uterine Fibroids Prevention Fund, in the Department of the Treasury to support the research and early detection of, and intervention for, uterine fibroids. Monies in the fund could be a combination of State, federal, and private funds. The State Treasurer would be the custodian of the fund and all disbursements from the fund would be made by the State Treasurer upon request by the Commissioner of Health. The bill appropriates $5 million to implement the grant program.
Lastly, the bill directs the Commissioner of Health, in consultation with the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance, to evaluate and recommend policies to the Governor and the Legislature within one calendar year of the date of enactment, which policies ensure coverage for uterine fibroid screening and treatment under State-regulated health plans.
