ASSEMBLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 2431

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED: NOVEMBER 19, 2012

      The Assembly Women and Children Committee reports favorably Assembly Bill No. 2431.

      This bill provides that a person with a developmental disability who resides in a facility, as that term is defined in section 3 of P.L.1977, c.82 (C.30:6D-3), or the person’s legal guardian, when applicable, may use an audio recording device during a meeting of, or telephone or face-to-face conversation with, any member of the person’s interdisciplinary team and any psychiatrist contracted by the facility to provide consultation services, provided that the person or legal guardian notifies the other participants prior to the start of the meeting or telephone or face-to-face conversation, as applicable, that a recording device will be used.

      An interdisciplinary team is responsible for the development of a single, integrated individual habilitation plan for a person with a developmental disability.  The team typically consists of: the person receiving services; the person’s legal guardian; the parents or family member of the person (at the preference of the person served or guardian); those individuals who work most directly with the person served; and professionals and representatives of service areas who are relevant to the identification of the person’s needs and the design and evaluation of programs to meet them.