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Bill

S 4776

Relates to the crimes of falsely reporting an incident in the first and second degrees

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Jeremy Cooney and 6 co-sponsors

Prohibits state agencies from disclosing autism-related data outside NJ without consent or a legal exception, limiting disclosures to minimum necessary information.

REFERRED TO CODES
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Bill Summary · S 4776

Summary: S 4776 – Autism-Related Data Privacy (Introduced Oct 27, 2025)

Note: The bill title references crimes related to falsely reporting an incident, but the introduced text describes privacy protections for autism-related health data held by New Jersey state agencies. This summary focuses on the introduced content as provided.

Bill at a glance

  • Bill Number: S 4776
  • Title (introduced content): Relates to health information and State agencies; supplements Title 26 of the Revised Statutes
  • Purpose: Strengthen protections around disclosure of autism-related data by state agencies
  • Status: REFERRED TO CODES
  • Introduced: October 27, 2025
  • Primary sponsor: Shirley K. Turner (with multiple co-sponsors)
  • Related legislation: S 6296 (prior-session)

What the bill would do

  • Prohibits state agencies, departments, or political subdivisions from disclosing personally identifiable autism-related data to entities outside the State unless specific conditions are met.
  • Requires disclosures to be limited to the minimum information necessary to satisfy legal requirements and compliant with privacy laws; encourages anonymization where feasible.

Key provisions

Section 1: Restrictions on disclosure

A state agency or subdivision may disclose autism-related data outside the State only if one of the following applies:
1. Informed, written consent for a specific use is provided by the individual or the individual’s legal guardian.
2. A court order or subpoena from a court of competent jurisdiction requires disclosure.
3. Disclosure is necessary to provide educational, medical, employment, housing, or other essential services and supports to the autistic individual.
4. Disclosure is required to comply with State or federal law.

  • All disclosures must be limited to the minimum amount of information necessary to fulfill the applicable legal requirements.
  • Disclosures should be anonymized where allowed and practicable.

Section 1: Definitions

  • “Autism-related data”: Personally identifiable information maintained by a State agency that reveals an individual has been identified as autistic.
  • “Informed consent”: Voluntary, written authorization by the individual or the individual’s legal guardian, after being clearly informed of the nature, scope, purpose, risks, and potential consequences of the data collection or disclosure.

Section 2: Effective date

  • The act is stated to take effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • State agencies, departments, and political subdivisions that hold autism-related data.
  • Autistic individuals and their legal guardians (as consent providers).
  • External entities seeking access to autism-related data (subject to the consent, court order, service delivery, or legal requirements exceptions).

Contextual considerations

  • Privacy emphasis: Strong emphasis on consent, minimal data disclosure, and data minimization.
  • Service continuity: Exceptions acknowledge the need to share data to provide essential services (education, medical, housing, employment, etc.).
  • Compliance framework: Requires alignment with existing state and federal privacy laws; encourages anonymization where possible.
  • Penalties and enforcement: The text provided does not specify penalties or enforcement mechanisms; it focuses on restrictions and conditions for disclosures.

Legislative history and timeline (highlights)

  • Introduced in Senate: October 27, 2025; Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
  • Earlier legislative actions (from the same session):
    • 2025-06-04: Passed Senate and delivered to Assembly; referred to CODES
    • 2025-05-29: Committee discharged and committed to Rules; ordered to Third Reading
    • 2025-02-12: Referred to CODES
  • Sponsors include primary and co-sponsors (Turner, Gallivan, Ryan, Cooney, Murray, Palumbo, Rhoads, Helming)

Potential impact and considerations

  • Privacy protection: Enhances privacy protections for individuals identified as autistic by restricting disclosures outside the state without consent or a recognized exception.
  • Administrative impact: State agencies may need processes to verify consent, track disclosures, and ensure compliance with minimum-information principles.
  • Legal alignment: Requires ongoing conformity with state and federal privacy laws; may necessitate policy updates and training.
  • Clarity and implementation: The bill does not specify penalties for noncompliance or detailed enforcement mechanisms; future amendments might address enforcement and audit provisions.

If you’d like, I can compare this bill’s proposed provisions to current NJ privacy statutes or provide a side-by-side translation into lay terms for policymakers or stakeholders.

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

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