Bill
SJR 100
Designates July as Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month in New Jersey to promote awareness, education, and collaboration on causes and early intervention.
SJR 100 — Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month (New Jersey)
Overview
- Type: Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) and companion to AJR 150 (Assembly)
- Purpose: Designate July of each year as “Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month” in New Jersey and urge official observance through a gubernatorial proclamation.
- Status: Reported out of Assembly Health Committee, 2nd Reading (as of November 24, 2025). Previously: passed Senate (39-0) on June 30, 2024; introduced in Senate March 18, 2024; companion in the Assembly (AJR 150).
- Effective: Immediate upon enactment (takes effect immediately per the resolution).
Purpose and Intent
- Increase public awareness about cleft lip and palate (orofacial clefts), including causes, treatments, and impact on speech, feeding, hearing, and dental health.
- Encourage understanding, support for affected New Jersey residents and families, and support for ongoing medical research into root causes and early intervention strategies.
- Promote collaboration among state organizations, medical institutions, research centers, and advocacy groups to raise awareness and advance research and outreach.
Key Provisions
- Section 1: Designates July of each year as “Cleft and Craniofacial Awareness and Prevention Month” in New Jersey.
- Section 2: Requests the Governor to issue an annual proclamation recognizing the designated month and to urge public officials and residents to observe it with appropriate activities and programs.
- Section 3: States the joint resolution takes effect immediately.
Background and Data Included
- Describes orofacial clefts (cleft lip and cleft palate) as birth defects with potential feeding, speech, ear/hearing, and dental challenges.
- Provides prevalence context (e.g., estimates of affected births in the U.S.; specific NJSHAD data cited in the introduced/version text).
- Emphasizes ongoing national research to understand root causes and notes that diagnosis and treatment options exist, with the goal of increasing awareness and support.
Who Is Affected
- New Jersey residents born with cleft lip, cleft palate, or both, and their families.
- State and local government officials, public health agencies, medical institutions, research centers, and advocacy organizations that work on orofacial clefts.
- Public health communications and outreach efforts in New Jersey.
Procedural and Timeline Aspects
- Legislative path: Introduced in Senate (March 18, 2024); advanced through Senate committees (2nd Reading on 6/20/2024) and Senate passage (6/30/2024); moved to Assembly with a companion AJR 150; Assembly actions culminated in a health committee report and 2nd Reading (Nov. 2025); status shows Assembly committee reporting favorably.
- Legislative nature: Non-binding joint resolution designating a month and urging proclamation; no stated fiscal impact in the text.
- Related legislation: Companion bill AJR 150 in the Assembly.
Impact Summary
- This bill formalizes July as a dedicated month to raise awareness about cleft lip/palate and other orofacial clefts, promotes education and outreach, and encourages collaboration to identify root causes and early intervention strategies, while commissioning annual gubernatorial proclamations to support observance.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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