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Bill

Bill

A 1996

Relates to apportionment for charter school tuition payments

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Crystal Peoples-Stokes and 1 co-sponsor

Requires providers to evaluate symptomatic pregnant/postpartum patients for hypertensive disorders using evidence-based policies and communicate results with treatment plans.

REFERRED TO EDUCATION
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Bill Summary · A 1996

Summary — A1996 (2nd Reprint)

Establishes requirements to evaluate pregnant and recently postpartum people for pregnancy‑related hypertensive disorders, including preeclampsia.

Main purpose

To promote early identification and treatment of hypertensive disorders related to pregnancy (including postpartum preeclampsia and hypertension) by requiring certain prenatal and postpartum care providers to adopt policies for evaluating symptomatic patients, to provide evidence‑based information, and to develop treatment plans when evaluations are positive.

Key provisions

  • Covered providers: licensed birthing centers, federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), and health care practitioners who provide prenatal care to pregnant persons or postpartum care to persons who present within 12 weeks of giving birth. (Later committee amendments removed “hospitals” from the list of covered entities.)
  • Evaluation requirement: providers must adopt and adhere to policies requiring evaluation, as necessary, for hypertensive disorders related to pregnancy when a person shows symptoms and has not previously been diagnosed with the condition in the current or recent pregnancy.
  • Evidence basis: evaluation tools and treatment practices are to be based on best practices and nationally‑recognized guidance (e.g., American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists).
  • Patient communication: providers must give evidence‑based information on warning signs and symptoms, inform patients of the benefits of evaluation (and that they should be evaluated unless they decline), discuss evaluation results, and, if indicated, develop an evidence‑based treatment plan to minimize risk.
  • Rulemaking: the bill authorizes relevant boards and agencies to promulgate implementing rules and regulations.

Who is affected

  • Directly: pregnant people and individuals within 12 weeks postpartum who seek care and present with symptoms of hypertensive pregnancy disorders.
  • Providers: birthing centers, federally qualified health centers, and prenatal/postpartum health care practitioners in New Jersey.
  • Payers/state programs: potential impacts on NJ FamilyCare (Medicaid) and related state health expenditures and federal Medicaid matching funds.

Fiscal and operational impact

  • OLS fiscal notes:
    • Earlier version (1R) estimated a one‑time/annual educational campaign cost of about $100,000 to the Department of Health/State Board of Medical Examiners; later reprints removed or altered DOH responsibilities and the $100,000 estimate.
    • Current ongoing fiscal impact: indeterminate increase in NJ FamilyCare expenditures if evaluations/treatment increase utilization; those expenditures would qualify for additional federal Medicaid matching funds (indeterminate increase in State revenue). There is also potential for long‑term savings if early detection reduces severe complications.
  • Context: NJ had 102,890 births in 2022; ~30% were Medicaid‑covered (~30,999). Hypertensive disorders affect an estimated 5–8% of births nationally; preeclampsia rates have risen in recent decades.

Legislative status & history

  • Introduced: Jan 9, 2024 (Assembly).
  • Committee actions: Amended and reported by Assembly Health Committee (Dec 16, 2024); amended and reported by Assembly Appropriations Committee (May 15, 2025).
  • Assembly passage: Passed Assembly May 22, 2025 (77–0–0).
  • Senate: Received in Senate May 29, 2025; referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee.
  • Companion bill: S3047.

Sponsors / cosponsors

  • Sponsors (per bill text versions): Assemblywoman Shanique Speight and Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds‑Jackson; multiple cosponsors listed in committee reports.

Notes: The bill has undergone substantive amendments during committee consideration (e.g., replacement of “screening” with “evaluation,” removal of hospitals and certain DOH duties, and changes to home blood pressure monitoring language). Readers should consult the latest reprint for final text.

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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