SENATE, No. 238

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 1996 SESSION

By Senator McGREEVEY

An Act concerning the State developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals and supplementing chapter 1 of Title 30 of the Revised Statutes.

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

    1. No State or federal funds shall be expended for the closure of a State developmental center operated by the Division of Developmental Disabilities, or a State psychiatric hospital operated by the Division of Mental Health Services, in the Department of Human Services.

    2. This act shall take effect immediately.

STATEMENT

    This bill would prohibit the expenditure of State and federal funds to close any of the eight developmental centers currently operated by the Division of Developmental Disabilities (Green Brook, Hunterdon, New Lisbon, North Jersey, North Princeton, Vineland, Woodbine and Woodbridge), or any of the seven psychiatric hospitals (Ancora, Arthur Brisbane Child Center at Allaire, Forensic, Greystone Park, Senator Garrett W. Hagedorn Gero-Psychiatric, Marlboro and Trenton) currently operated by the Division of Mental Health Services, in the Department of Human Services. This bill is intended to protect the welfare of the residents of these facilities, who are among the most vulnerable citizens of our State, against their forced relocation to inappropriate settings in community programs which cannot adequately meet their needs.

Prohibits use of State and federal funds to close State developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals.