ASSEMBLY WOMEN AND CHILDREN COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

ASSEMBLY, No. 1077

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  JANUARY 25, 2021

      The Assembly Women and Children Committee reports favorably and with committee amendments Assembly Bill No. 1077.

      As amended by the committee, this bill requires the Department of Health (department) to develop and implement a plan to improve access to perinatal mood and anxiety disorder screening.

      Under the bill, the department is to develop and implement a plan to improve access to perinatal mood and anxiety disorder screening, referral, treatment, and support services.  The plan is to provide strategies to: (1) increase awareness among mental health care service providers who treat women experiencing perinatal mood and anxiety disorders with regard to the prevalence and effects of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders on women and children; (2) establish a referral network of mental health care providers and support services for women who are in need of perinatal mood and anxiety disorder treatment; (3) increase women's access to formal and informal peer support services, including access to certified peer specialists who have received training related to perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; (4) raise public awareness for, and reduce the stigma related to, perinatal mood and anxiety disorders; and (5) provide available funds to perinatal mood and anxiety disorder screening, referral, treatment, and support services.

      As reported by the committee, Assembly Bill No. 1077 is identical to Senate Bill No. 705 (1R), which was reported by the Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee on this September 14, 2020.

      This bill was pre-filed for introduction in the 2020-2021 session pending technical review.  As reported, the bill includes the changes required by technical review, which has been performed.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS:

      The committee amendments replace the term “postpartum depression” with “perinatal mood and anxiety disorder” and changes the synopsis to reflect the use of the new term throughout the bill.