LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE

[First Reprint]

SENATE, No. 382

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

219th LEGISLATURE

 

DATED: JUNE 30, 2021

 

 

SUMMARY

 

Synopsis:

Requires uniform response procedures for all domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and strengthens Statewide supervision over teams; expands topics required in training courses.

Type of Impact:

Annual State, County, and Local Expenditure Increases.

Agencies Affected:

Department of Law and Public Safety; Administrative Office of the Courts; State, County, and Municipal Law Enforcement Agencies; the Judiciary.

 

Office of Legislative Services Estimate

Fiscal Impact

Year 1 

Year 2 

Year 3 

Annual State Cost Increases

Indeterminate

Annual Local Cost Increases

Indeterminate

 

 

·         The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) projects that this bill will result in indeterminate annual State, county, and local expenditure increases to ensure that uniform response procedures for domestic crisis teams are established, or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and initial costs to ensure that the bill’s domestic violence training course revisions are established and enacted. The Department of Law and Public Safety may also experience indeterminate workload increases to establish, administer, and report on the status of the program. 

·         The OLS estimates that there will be an indeterminate cost to the Division of Criminal Justice to provide greater oversight of the domestic violence crises teams. Further, the OLS cannot determine the cost to the Office of the Attorney General to revise components of domestic violence training.  Currently, law enforcement officers are required to participate in an established in-person domestic violence training program annually.

BILL DESCRIPTION

 

      This bill concerns domestic violence training requirements and oversight of domestic crisis teams established or participated in by law enforcement agencies. Domestic violence crisis teams may include social workers, clergy, or other persons trained in counseling, crisis intervention, or treating domestic violence victims, or elderly or disabled victims of neglect or abuse.

      The bill would require that the current training on handling domestic violence matters by the Division of Criminal Justice for law enforcement agencies, and by the Judiciary for judges and judicial personnel, now includes information on the impact of trauma on survivors, techniques when interviewing trauma survivors, and the impact of racial bias and discrimination on survivors and marginalized communities.

      Additionally, for law enforcement agencies the training would include procedures to be followed by law enforcement officers participating in domestic crisis teams. With respect to these new procedures to be developed, the bill would establish greater uniformity for future domestic crisis team responses by requiring that such teams be made available to victims whenever law enforcement responds to any reports of domestic violence and abuse and neglect of the elderly and disabled. Currently, there are inconsistencies in how and when the services of domestic crisis teams are made available to victims.

      Lastly, the bill would strengthen oversight over domestic crisis teams by providing that law enforcement agency actions involving establishing or participating in a domestic crisis team be done under the supervision of the State’s Division of Criminal Justice.

 

 

FISCAL ANALYSIS

 

EXECUTIVE BRANCH

 

      None received.

 

OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES

 

      The OLS projects that this bill will result in indeterminate annual State, county, and local expenditure increases to ensure that uniform response procedures for domestic crisis teams are established, or participated in by law enforcement agencies, and initial costs to ensure that the bill’s domestic violence training course revisions are established and enacted.

      State Expenditures: The Division of Criminal Justice in the Department of Law and Public Safety may experience indeterminate workload increases to establish, administer, and regularly report on the status of the uniform program. The OLS further estimates that there will be an indeterminate cost to provide greater oversight of the domestic violence crises teams. The teams may include social workers, clergy, or others trained in counseling and crisis intervention of certain victims such as the elderly or disabled.

      Further, the OLS cannot determine the cost to the Office of the Attorney General and the Administrative Office of the Courts to revise components of domestic violence training that is provided to law enforcement personnel, judges, and judiciary personnel.  Currently, law enforcement officers, judges, and judicial personnel are required to participate in an established in-person domestic violence training annually.

Section:

Law and Public Safety

Analyst:

Kristin Brunner Santos

Lead Fiscal Analyst

Approved:

Thomas Koenig

Legislative Budget and Finance Officer

 

 

This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.

 

This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).