Bill Text: NJ S462 | 2018-2019 | Regular Session | Introduced
Bill Title: Requires Commissioner of Health to take certain actions to ensure that residential units are available in assisted living facilities for individuals with special needs.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2018-01-09 - Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee [S462 Detail]
Download: New_Jersey-2018-S462-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
218th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2018 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator ROBERT W. SINGER
District 30 (Monmouth and Ocean)
Senator ROBERT M. GORDON
District 38 (Bergen and Passaic)
SYNOPSIS
Requires Commissioner of Health to take certain actions to ensure that residential units are available in assisted living facilities for individuals with special needs.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning assisted living facilities 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. The Commissioner of Health shall:
(1) enter into contracts with existing assisted living facilities, including at least one facility in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of the State, to reserve a minimum of two to four residential units in the facility for individuals with special needs; and
(2) require and facilitate the construction of three new assisted living facilities, including one facility in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of the State, which shall be dedicated for use by individuals with special needs.
b. As used in this section:
"Assisted living facility" means an assisted living residence or comprehensive personal care home, which is licensed by the Department of Health pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.).
"Individual with special needs" means an individual who has an intellectual or cognitive disability, disorder, or impairment that limits their ability to function in areas of daily life, such as in areas of communication, self-care, self-sufficiency, independent living, or engagement in social situations or activities. "Individual with special needs" includes, but is not limited to, an individual with autism spectrum disorder; Down syndrome; fragile X syndrome; Cri-du-chat syndrome; or Prader-Willi syndrome; or an individual who has a long-term intellectual impairment resulting from head injury, stroke, infection such as meningitis, or a congenital defect or anomaly such as congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), hydrocephalus, fetal alcohol syndrome, or cortical atrophy.
c. The Commissioner of Health may adopt rules and regulations, pursuant to the "Administrative Procedure Act," P.L.1968, c.410 (C.52:14B-1 et seq.), as may be necessary to implement the provisions of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
This bill would require the Commissioner of Health to take certain actions to ensure that residential space in assisted living facilities is available for use by individuals with special needs.
Specifically, the bill would require the commissioner to enter into contracts with existing assisted living facilities, including at least one facility in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of the State, in order to reserve a minimum of two to four residential units in the facility for individuals with special needs. The bill would further provide for the commissioner to require and facilitate the construction of three new assisted living facilities, including at least one facility in each of the Northern, Central, and Southern regions of the State, which will be dedicated for use by individuals with special needs.
The bill defines "individual with special needs" to mean an individual who has an intellectual or cognitive disability, disorder, or impairment that limits their ability to function in areas of daily life, such as in areas of communication, self-care, self-sufficiency, independent living, or engagement in social situations or activities. "Individual with special needs" would include, but not be limited to, an individual with autism spectrum disorder; Down syndrome; fragile X syndrome; Cri-du-chat syndrome; or Prader-Willi syndrome; or an individual who has a long-term intellectual impairment resulting from head injury, stroke, infection such as meningitis, or a congenital defect or anomaly such as congenital cytomegalovirus (CMV), hydrocephalus, fetal alcohol syndrome, or cortical atrophy.
