STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Assemblywoman MILA M. JASEY
District 27 (Essex and Morris)
Assemblywoman VERLINA REYNOLDS-JACKSON
District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)
Assemblywoman CAROL A. MURPHY
District 7 (Burlington)
Co-Sponsored by:
Assemblywomen Vainieri Huttle, McKnight and Assemblyman Danielsen
SYNOPSIS
Requires discrimination prevention training for certain providers of services to senior citizens.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel.
An Act concerning discrimination prevention training and services for seniors and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. No later than nine months after the effective date of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), the Commissioner of Human Services or the commissioner’s designee, shall develop a training program designed to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in the delivery of certain services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex senior citizens in the State. The training program shall also be designed to increase awareness among, and provide cultural competency to, service providers about the issues encountered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex seniors in order to ensure equal access to services, and improve the delivery of those services to senior citizens and their caregivers.
b. The commissioner, or the commissioner’s designee, may consult any agencies, advocacy organizations, or governmental entities as are determined to be appropriate in developing the training program.
c. The commissioner shall ensure that a provider of services or supports to senior citizens that contracts with, provides services through programs administered by, or receives funding from, the Department of Human Services, any of its divisions, or any area agency on aging completes the training program no later than six months following the availability of the program. Thereafter, each new service provider shall complete the training within one month of commencing the delivery of services or supports.
d. The department may make the training program available online, by webinar, or by other means. The department shall establish a protocol to ensure compliance by providers of services with the requirements of this section.
2. This act shall take effect immediately upon enactment.
STATEMENT
This bill provides that the Commissioner of Human Services or the commissioner’s designee, develop a training program designed to prevent and eliminate discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression in the delivery of certain services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex senior citizens in the State. The bill requires that the training program be developed no later than nine months following the bill’s enactment.
The training program would be designed to increase awareness among, and provide cultural competency to, service providers about the issues encountered by lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, questioning, and intersex seniors in order to ensure equal access to services for senior citizens, and improve the delivery of those services to senior citizens and caregivers in the State.
The bill requires that a provider of services or supports to senior citizens that contracts with, provides services through programs administered by, or receives funding from, the Department of Human Services, any of its divisions, or any Area Agency on Aging must complete the training program no later than six months following the availability of the program. Thereafter, each new service provider would be required to complete the training within one month of commencing the delivery of services or supports.
The bill would take effect immediately upon enactment.