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S 3611

Requires the commissioner of corrections and community supervision to permanently terminate the conjugal visit program, commonly known as the family reunion program

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Pam Helming

Funds a stakeholder-led study to map access, identify barriers and disparities, and deliver policy recommendations to improve pediatric mental health care in New Jersey.

REFERRED TO CRIME VICTIMS, CRIME AND CORRECTION
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Bill Summary · S 3611

Summary — S.3611 (P.L.2024, c.100)

Title (as enacted): An Act concerning mental health services for children, supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes, and making an appropriation.

Note: the materials provided describe S.3611 as a bill to study and map pediatric mental health care resources (not the conjugal-visit topic shown in the initial header). This summary follows the enacted bill text and committee reports.

Purpose

To fund and direct a stakeholder-led study to map how families access pediatric mental health care in New Jersey, identify gaps and barriers (including financial and structural), analyze disparities in outcomes, and produce concrete policy recommendations to improve coordination, funding, coverage, and family-centeredness of child mental health services.

Key provisions

  • Appropriation: $1,000,000 from the General Fund to the Department of Children and Families (DCF) to fund the work.
  • Grant recipient: DCF must distribute the $1,000,000 to the New Jersey Health Care Quality Institute (NJHCQI).
  • Stakeholder group: NJHCQI will assemble representatives with pediatric mental health subject-matter expertise, providers, and program administrators from counties representing northern, central, and southern New Jersey.
  • Required tasks for NJHCQI:
    • Create a comprehensive visual "journey map" of family experiences obtaining child mental health care.
    • Identify eligibility rules, covered services, funding structures, and how different programs connect, disconnect, or compete.
    • Conduct qualitative research (interviews and focus groups) across three counties representing the State’s regions.
    • Review laws, regulations, and contract terms governing pediatric mental health services.
    • Analyze payment structures, reimbursement rates, cost-sharing, and financial barriers.
    • Compile and analyze pediatric mental health outcomes data stratified by payer type, race, ethnicity, and other characteristics to detect disparities.
    • Produce two deliverables (described below) with policy recommendations to improve program structure, funding, coverage, efficiency, and interconnectedness.
  • Deliverables and deadlines:
    • No later than 13 months after enactment: submit to DCF (1) a visual journey map describing steps, interactions, and barriers families face to access care, and (2) a document summarizing eligibility/coverage/payment rules, key issues and disparities, and advisory-group policy recommendations.
    • No later than 15 months after enactment: DCF Commissioner must submit those documents to the Governor and Legislature and post them publicly on the DCF website.
  • Effective date: The act takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Who is affected

  • Families and children seeking pediatric mental health services — the study focuses on their experiences and barriers.
  • State agencies (DCF, Departments of Education, Health, Human Services), counties, school systems, insurers, and providers — these systems will be evaluated and may be the targets of recommended changes.
  • Policymakers and program administrators — they will receive the findings and recommendations to inform policy, funding, and program design.

Procedural status (selected)

  • Introduced: September 19, 2024
  • Passed Senate: 10/28/2024 (40–0)
  • Passed Assembly: 10/28/2024 (75–0)
  • Approved (enacted): December 12, 2024 — P.L.2024, c.100
  • Companion bill: A4970

Potential impact

The study is intended to produce a clear, evidence-informed picture of how pediatric mental health care is accessed and funded in New Jersey and to identify systemic, financial, and equity-related barriers. The deliverables are expected to guide legislative and administrative reforms to improve access, coordination among agencies/programs, and to reduce disparities in child mental health outcomes. The appropriation provides resources to perform a comprehensive, statewide-informed assessment within about one year of enactment.

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

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