ASSEMBLY, No. 2431

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

INTRODUCED OCTOBER 21, 1996

By Assemblywoman MURPHY, Assemblymen DeCROCE

and Bucco

An Act concerning State psychiatric hospitals and supplementing Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

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

    1. The Senate Human Services Committee, or its successor, and the Assembly Community Services Committee, or its successor, shall review the Department of Human Services' progress in implementing the recommendations of the Senate Task Force on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in its final report issued in June, 1996.

    The committees shall request the Commissioner of Human Services to provide a status report on the actions taken by the department in implementing the recommendations and other actions taken by the department to address the problems identified in the task force report, and if no action was taken on a recommendation, the reasons why the department has not addressed the recommendation.

    The review shall include a public hearing for State psychiatric hospital patients and their families and employees, and for support groups associated with the State psychiatric hospitals. The review shall be conducted no later than one year after the effective date of this act and biennially thereafter. Upon completion of the review, the committees shall issue a report of their findings and recommendations to the Commissioner of Human Services.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill requires the Senate Human Services Committee and the Assembly Community Services Committee, or their successors, to review the Department of Human Services' progress in implementing the recommendations of the Senate Task Force on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital in its final report issued in June, 1996.

    The committees shall request the Commissioner of Human Services to provide a status report on the actions taken by the department in implementing the recommendations and other actions taken by the department to address the problems identified in the task force report, and if no action was taken on a recommendation, the reasons why the department has not addressed the recommendation.

    The review shall include a public hearing for State psychiatric hospital patients and their families and employees, and for support groups associated with the State psychiatric hospitals. The review shall be conducted no later than one year after the effective date of this act and biennially thereafter. Upon completion of the review, the committees shall issue a report of their findings and recommendations to the Commissioner of Human Services.

    This bill is one of several legislative initiatives recommended in the Final Report of the Senate Task Force on Greystone Park Psychiatric Hospital issued in June, 1996.

Requires Legislature to review DHS's progress in implementing recommendations of the Senate Task Force on Greystone Psychiatric Hospital.