Bill
S 3610
The bill requires annual, prioritized reviews of NJ FamilyCare and child care subsidies, detailing unspent funds and the 12 top policy changes with funding estimates.
Note on title discrepancy
- The supplied bill number (S-3610) and all attached documents concern annual reporting requirements for NJ FamilyCare and child care subsidy programs. The short title you provided ("Establishes the rural suicide prevention council") does not match the bill text. The summary below is based on the bill text and committee reports provided (S-3610, reprint SBA 3/17/25).
Summary
- Purpose: Require the Office of Management and Budget (Treasury) working with relevant Division leads in the Department of Human Services (DHS) to produce two separate, annual reports that (1) identify unencumbered/unallocated State funds available for appropriation for NJ FamilyCare and for child care subsidy services, and (2) evaluate program quality and compile a prioritized list of the 12 most urgent policy/legislative changes (with estimated State funding needed) to address identified quality deficiencies.
Key provisions
- Annual reports (beginning January 1 following the act’s effective date), submitted to the Governor and Legislature:
- NJ FamilyCare report (Treasury OMB Director with Assistant Commissioner, Division of Medical Assistance and Health Services):
- Identify unencumbered/unallocated State funds available for appropriation in the current fiscal year for NJ FamilyCare.
- Evaluate quality of care for NJ FamilyCare beneficiaries and list the 12 highest-priority policy/legislative actions (including funding estimates) needed to remedy deficiencies.
- Committee amendment explicitly includes any program that utilizes Medicaid funds (e.g., school-based Medicaid-reimbursed services).
- Child care services report (Treasury OMB Director with Director, Division of Family Development, DHS):
- Identify unencumbered/unallocated State funds available to support child care subsidy payments in the current fiscal year.
- Evaluate child care service quality and list the 12 highest-priority policy/legislative actions (with funding estimates) to address deficiencies.
- Defines “child care services” as services for eligible children (certified by the Division of Family Development) for which the division administers State and federal subsidy payments to licensed providers or registered family day care providers.
- Rulemaking: State Treasurer and Commissioner of Human Services to adopt implementing regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act.
- Effective: immediately; first reports due January 1 after enactment and annually thereafter.
Who is affected
- State executive agencies (Treasury OMB; DHS Divisions of Medical Assistance & Health Services and Family Development) — responsible for preparing reports.
- NJ FamilyCare beneficiaries (Medicaid & CHIP enrollees) and families receiving child care subsidies — will be the subject of quality evaluations and potential policy changes.
- The Legislature and Governor — recipients of the reports to inform budget and policy decisions.
Fiscal impact and staffing
- Office of Legislative Services (OLS) estimates an annual State salary and benefits cost increase to implement reporting requirements:
- Earlier estimate: ~$328,000 (1 FTE senior fiscal analyst in Treasury + 1 FTE senior program specialist in DHS).
- Later estimate (accounting for committee changes): ~$410,000 annually (1.25 FTE in Treasury + 1.25 FTE in DHS).
- OLS prepared estimates after no executive-branch fiscal response.
Procedural status (selected)
- Introduced: Sept 19, 2024
- Reported from Senate committees and amended: Feb–Mar 2025
- Passed Senate: June 9, 2025 (also recorded as earlier passage 35–4 on March 24, 2025 in the history)
- Delivered to Assembly: June 9, 2025; referred to Assembly committee(s) including Mental Health and Aging & Human Services.
Sponsors and related legislation
- Sponsors on reprint: Senator Nicholas P. Scutari and Senator Angela V. McKnight (with co-sponsor Senator Ruiz).
- Companion/related bills: A-8434, A-4900; prior-session bills S-5453 and S-3587.
Implication
- The bill centralizes annual fiscal and quality reviews for Medicaid/CHIP and child care subsidy programs and produces prioritized, costed proposals for legislative/budgetary action — providing lawmakers a recurring, detailed basis for targeted policy and appropriation decisions.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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