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A 3176

Requires that a state employee, who is transferred from one state agency to another because such employee's previous position was eliminated, be entitled to certain benefits

2025 Regular Session Introduced by William Colton and 9 co-sponsors

New Jersey will fund a $2M DMVA grant program that lets veterans groups hire licensed mental health professionals to provide services for veterans.

REFERRED TO LABOR
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Bill Summary · A 3176

Summary of Assembly Bill A-3176 (New Jersey)

Note: The initial bill description in the prompt about state employee transfers appears inconsistent with the documents provided. The material below summarizes the bill as described in the accompanying documents, which pertain to a mental health grants program for veterans.

Purpose and Intent

  • Establish a state-administered grant program to expand access to mental health services for military veterans in New Jersey.
  • Fund and structure relationships between recognized veterans organizations and licensed mental health professionals to deliver services.

Key Provisions

  • Adjutant General’s Authority

    • The Adjutant General of the Department of Military and Veterans’ Affairs (DMVA) shall establish a program that provides grants to recognized veterans organizations to supply mental health services to veterans.
    • Veterans organizations that receive grants must contract with licensed mental health care professionals to deliver services.

  • Definitions

    • Mental health care professional: Individuals licensed or otherwise authorized to practice a health care profession regulated by a specified set of New Jersey boards and committees (e.g., Medical Examiners, Psychological Examiners, Social Work Examiners, Marriage and Family Therapy Examiners, Alcohol and Drug Counselor Committee, Professional Counselor Examiners, Certified Psychoanalysts Advisory Committee).
    • Veterans organization: An organization that qualifies as 501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19) under the Internal Revenue Code, or a federally chartered Veterans’ Service Organization; includes the New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholders Group and the New Jersey Catholic Charities Diocese.

  • Administrative Procedure

    • The Adjutant General shall adopt regulations under the Administrative Procedure Act to implement the act.

Funding and Fiscal Impact

  • Appropriation: $2,000,000 from the General Fund to DMVA for grants to veterans organizations to provide mental health services.
  • Fiscal impact:
    • Year 1: Up to $2 million state expenditure for the new grant program.
    • Future years: Costs are indeterminate and depend on the number and size of grants awarded.
    • Additional administrative workload for DMVA, potentially absorbed within existing budgets.

Implementation and Timeline

  • Effective Date: Immediate upon enactment.
  • Regulations: The DMVA must issue implementing regulations under the APA to effectuate the program.

Affected Parties

  • Veterans in New Jersey who receive mental health services through grant-funded programs.
  • Recognized veterans organizations that qualify for grant funding.
  • Licensed mental health professionals contracted to provide services.
  • The DMVA, which administers the program and regulations.

Legislative Status and Process

  • Introduced: January 9, 2024.
  • Initial Committee Action: Reported favorably by the Assembly Military and Veterans’ Affairs Committee; referred to Assembly Appropriations (March 4, 2024).
  • Later updates show the bill being referred to Labor in the 2025 session listings.

Sponsors and Related Measures

  • Primary Sponsor: William Colton (with multiple cosponsors listed, including Alicia Hyndman and others).
  • Related bills and companion measures exist in prior sessions (e.g., S 1267 and other A/S bills).

If you’d like, I can tailor this summary to focus on specific stakeholders (veterans groups, mental health providers, or state budget considerations) or add a comparison with similar programs in other states.

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

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