ASSEMBLY, No. 461

 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

 

Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative Counsel

 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

 

 

By Assemblyman ROMA

 

 

An Act concerning disclosure of AIDS information under certain circumstances and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

 

    Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:

 

    1. a. Notwithstanding the provisions of any other law, a superintendent or warden of a State correctional institution or county penal institution or a county Sheriff, if responsible for county corrections, who knows of any inmate who has tested positive for acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) or infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) shall disclose the identity of that inmate to any corrections officer in that institution who has been assigned to duties that require him to be in close physical proximity with that inmate.

    b. Any corrections officer to whom identifying information is disclosed pursuant to this act shall keep such information confidential and shall not disclose it to any other person except as otherwise authorized by law or court order.

 

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

 

 

STATEMENT

 

    This bill provides that the superintendent or warden of any State prison or the superintendent, warden or sheriff of any county jail who knows the identity of any inmate who has tested positive for AIDS or the HIV virus must disclose this information to each corrections officer who is assigned to duties that require the officer to be in close physical proximity to that inmate. Under the bill's provisions, any corrections officer who receives the information is required to keep it confidential.


 

Requires disclosure to certain prison guards of AIDS status of inmates.