Bill Text: NJ A4930 | 2026-2027 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Establishes "Kidney Disease Study Commission."
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2)
Status: (Introduced) 2026-05-07 - Introduced, Referred to Assembly Health Committee [A4930 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2026-A4930-Introduced.html
Sponsored by:
Assemblyman KENYATTA STEWART
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT
District 29 (Essex and Hudson)
SYNOPSIS
Establishes "Kidney Disease Study Commission."
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning kidney disease research and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. There is established the Kidney Disease Study Commission in the Department of Health.
b. The commission shall consist of nine members:
(1) the Commissioner of Health, or the commissioner's designee, who shall serve ex officio;
(2) the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner's designee, who shall serve ex officio;
(3) the Director of the Office of Minority and Multicultural Health or the director's designee, who shall serve ex officio; and
(4) six public members, who have knowledge, competence, experience, or interest in kidney disease research or treatment, to be appointed as follows: one member to be appointed by the President of the Senate; one member to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate; one member to be appointed by the Speaker of the General Assembly; one member to be appointed by the Minority Leader of the General Assembly; and two members to be appointed by the Governor.
c. The term of office of each appointed member shall be three years, but of the members first appointed, three shall be appointed for terms of one year, two for terms of two years, and one for a term of three years.
d. Vacancies in the membership of the commission shall be filled in the same manner provided for the original appointments.
e. The commission shall organize as soon as practicable following the appointment of its members, and shall select a chairperson from among the members. The chairperson shall appoint a secretary who need not be a member of the commission.
f. Members of the commission shall serve without compensation, but shall be reimbursed for necessary expenses incurred in the performance of their duties as members of the commission, within the limits of funds appropriated or otherwise made available to the commission for its purposes.
g. The commission shall meet at the call of its chairperson, at the times and in the places the chairperson may deem appropriate and necessary to effectuate the commission's duties, and shall conduct public hearings at such place or places as the chairperson shall designate.
h. The Department of Health shall provide stenographic, clerical, and other administrative assistants and professional staff as the commission requires to carry out its work. The commission shall be entitled to call to its assistance and avail of the services of the employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as the commission may require and as may be available for the commission's purposes.
2. It shall be the duty of the Kidney Disease Study Commission established pursuant to section 1 of this act to take steps necessary to encourage the development within the State of research projects on:
a. the causes of kidney disease, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to increased rates of kidney disease in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
b. the causes of the increased incidence of kidney disease complications in minority populations and rural and underserved communities, and possible clinical and nonclinical, such as food security, housing, and access to coverage, interventions to decrease such incidence;
c. the causes of lower rates of kidney transplants in minority, rural, and underserved communities, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to lower rates of kidney transplants in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
d. the causes of lower rates of kidney transplants in minority, rural, and underserved communities, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to lower rates of kidney transplants in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
e. possible interventions to increase kidney transplants; and
f. treatment patterns associated with providing care, under the Medicaid program, established pursuant to P.L.1968, c.413 (C.30:4D-1 et seq.), and through private health insurance, to minority populations, and rural and underserved communities, that are disproportionately affected by kidney failure. In supporting research described in this subsection, the Kidney Disease Study Commission shall seek to include participants from minority populations and rural and underserved communities as study subjects in clinical trials.
3. The Kidney Disease Study Commission established pursuant to section 1 of this act shall prepare and submit to the Governor and, pursuant to section 2 of P.L.1991, c.164 (C.52:14-19.1), the Legislature a report by January 30 of each year describing the status of the commission's activities and the results and findings of its supported research efforts, which report shall include any recommendations for future initiatives or action regarding kidney disease research.
4. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill establishes the "Kidney Disease Study Commission" (commission) in the Department of Health.
The commission will consist of nine members: the Commissioner of Health, or the commissioner's designee; the Commissioner of Human Services, or the commissioner's designee;
the Director of the Office of Minority and Multicultural Health or the director's designee; and six public members, who have knowledge, competence, experience, or interest in kidney disease research or treatment.
The commission will have the duty to take steps necessary to encourage the development within the State of research projects on:
1) the causes of kidney disease, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to increased rates of kidney disease in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
2) the causes of the increased incidence of kidney disease complications in minority populations and rural and underserved communities, and possible clinical and nonclinical, such as food security, housing, and access to coverage, interventions to decrease such incidence;
3) the causes of lower rates of kidney transplants in minority, rural, and underserved communities, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to lower rates of kidney transplants in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
4) the causes of lower rates of kidney transplants in minority, rural, and underserved communities, including socioeconomic, geographic, clinical, environmental, genetic, racial, ethnic, and other factors that may contribute to lower rates of kidney transplants in minority populations and rural and underserved communities;
5) possible interventions to increase kidney transplants; and
6) treatment patterns associated with providing care, under the Medicaid program and through private health insurance, to minority populations, and rural and underserved communities, that are disproportionately affected by kidney failure. In supporting research described in the bill, the Kidney Disease Study Commission will seek to include participants from minority populations and rural and underserved communities as study subjects in clinical trials.
The commission will prepare and submit to the Governor and the Legislature a report by January 30 of each year describing the status of the commission's activities and the results and findings of its supported research efforts, which report will include any recommendations for future initiatives or action regarding kidney disease research.
