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A 1148

Suspends employer contributions to the interest assessment surcharge fund; appropriation

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Joe Angelino and 19 co-sponsors

Creates a voluntary, supervised temporary home for at-risk youth and young parents, with allowed child-abuse registry disclosures to approved volunteers and certain health professi

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Bill Summary · A 1148

Summary — Assembly Bill A1148 (1R)

Status: Reported from committee; referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee (May 8, 2025). Introduced Jan 9, 2024. Amends P.L.1977, c.102 (C.9:6-8.10a) and supplements Title 9 of the Revised Statutes.

Note: The bill documents supplied concern creating a temporary-placement program administered through agencies approved by the Department of Children and Families (DCF) and amending child-abuse-registry disclosure rules.

Main purpose

Create a voluntary, supervised temporary-placement program to provide a safe, short-term home for infants, children, parents under age 21 with an infant, or pregnant women under age 21 who are experiencing a temporary crisis. Amend the State child‑abuse registry confidentiality statute to permit limited additional disclosures connected to that program.

Key provisions

  • Definitions
    • “Crisis” — a temporary situation (examples: homelessness, hospitalization, substance use or mental health crises, domestic violence, unemployment, or any circumstance leaving a child/infant or a pregnant woman under 21 without a safe home), as determined by an approved agency.
  • Approved agencies
    • Agencies must be approved by DCF to place children for adoption and must enter into a contract with DCF before facilitating temporary placements.
    • Responsibilities include weekly visits to the placement home, providing assistance to help the parent/pregnant woman restore stability, and locating alternative placements if needed.
  • Home studies and background checks
    • A home study is required before a prospective volunteer provides a temporary home.
    • Approved agencies must consider child-abuse-registry checks and obtain State and federal criminal history record checks for the prospective volunteer and any person age 18+ residing in the home.
    • Costs of those checks are to be paid by the prospective volunteer and adult household members.
    • Each home study and the agency’s suitability determination must be forwarded to DCF prior to placement; the agency must retain records of studies, background checks, and determinations.
  • Confidentiality amendments
    • The child-abuse-registry confidentiality law (C.9:6-8.10a) is amended to permit disclosure of registry information to:
    • Physician assistants and advanced practice nurses (in addition to physicians),
    • Prospective volunteers seeking to provide a temporary home under this bill,
    • Persons 18 years of age or older residing in the prospective volunteer’s home.
    • Disclosures remain limited to information relevant to the authorized purpose and exclude information that would endanger safety or compromise investigations.

Who is affected

  • Directly: infants and children in need, parents under 21 with infants, pregnant women under 21, volunteers offering temporary homes, and adult household members of volunteers.
  • Administratively: DCF and DCF‑approved adoption-placement agencies (required to contract with DCF and conduct oversight).
  • Professionals: physician assistants and advanced practice nurses gain limited access to child‑abuse‑registry information under the amended law.

Procedural/timeline notes

  • Introduced: Jan 9, 2024.
  • Moved through committees: Transferred to Assembly Health Committee (Mar 20, 2025); reported with committee amendments Mar 20, 2025; reported and referred to Assembly Appropriations Committee May 8, 2025.
  • Committee amendment expanded registry-disclosure recipients to include physician assistants and advanced practice nurses.

Potential impacts / considerations

  • Safety and oversight: weekly agency visits, mandatory home studies, and background checks aim to protect children and volunteers.
  • Financial: background-check costs are shifted to volunteers/adult household members, which could be a barrier for some volunteers.
  • Data access: expanding registry disclosure to volunteers and certain health professionals facilitates screening and care coordination but raises confidentiality considerations.
  • Program design and funding details (e.g., reimbursement, training for volunteers, liability protections) would depend on DCF contract terms and any appropriation language adopted later.

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

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