Three bills aimed at strengthening oversight, expanding protections and reinforcing
quality standards for providers serving individuals with intellectual and developmental
disabilities across New Jersey were signed late last week by Gov, Phil Murphy.
The bills will:
- Enhance the Department of Human Services’ authority to enforce quality
standards among residential and other service providers for individuals with
developmental disabilities; - Revise the legal definition of child abuse or neglect to include individuals up to
age 21 years in certain regulated settings, including institutions and day schools
overseen by the Department of Children and Families; - Create the Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee within
Human Services.
Administration officials said Murphy worked with the leadership of the N.J. Department
of Human Services and State Sen. Joe Vitale (D-Woodbridge), who chairs the Senate
Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee, for more than a year on the
substance of the bills.
“Individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities deserve to feel safe,
respected, and supported in every setting, without exception,” Murphy said.
“These measures give the State clearer authority and stronger tools to demand
accountability and uphold high standards of care. With today’s bill signings, we are
reaffirming our commitment to ensuring the intellectual and developmental disability
community receives the quality care, dignity, and support they deserve.”
Department of Human Services Commissioner Sarah Adelman said the new laws give
the department additional tools to promote high-quality care, strengthen oversight, and
ensure that our systems continue to evolve in ways that reflect best practices and the
needs of the people we serve.
Suzanne Buchanan, executive director of Autism New Jersey, said the bills strengthen
oversight and prioritize accountability.
“Protecting vulnerable individuals demands a system where government, providers,
advocacy organizations, and families work together with urgency, recognizing that each
perspective is essential to building a safer system,” she said. “That’s why Autism New
Jersey and many others worked hard to gain consensus on critical provisions, moving
New Jersey closer to a system designed to prevent harm and continuously improve
quality of care.”
Celine Fortin, executive director of The Arc of New Jersey, agreed.
“People with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) and their families deserve
a system free of abuse and neglect, and we as a state must do everything we can to
create the safest system possible,” she said. “Oversight and accountability are non-
negotiable, and we believe these three bills will strengthen already existing protections
in both the Department of Children and Families and the Department of Human
Services.
“We must always put the health and safety of people with IDD at the forefront and come
together with our community provider agencies to ensure the service delivery system is
fully equipped to support the needs of all New Jersey citizens.”
Catherine Chin, executive director of the Alliance for the Betterment of Citizens with
Disabilities, said the vision of the bills matches the mission of her organization.
“Ending abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals with I/DD and responding
effectively and with dignity when it occurs are our ethical obligations and central to our
public policy,” she said.
Here are the bills in more detail:
S3750/A5634: Enhances the Department of Human Services’ authority to enforce
quality standards among residential and other service providers for individuals with
developmental disabilities. Human Services will be able to impose civil penalties and
fines on providers for serious violations, including failure to meet health and safety
requirements, inadequate internal investigations, and operating without proper
licensure. In addition, the law establishes the Residential Facility Quality of Care
Improvement Fund to collect proceeds from fines to be reinvested in enhanced
monitoring, regulatory actions, and quality improvement initiatives across the system.
S3751/A5636: Revises the legal definition of child abuse or neglect to include
individuals up to age 21 years in certain regulated settings, including institutions and
day schools overseen by the Department of Children and Families. This change
transitions the responsibility of investigations of incidents involving young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities from DHS to DCF, which funds and regulates
services for young adults under the age of 21 years.
S3754/A5638: Creates the Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory
Committee within Human Services. This Advisory Committee is charged with
conducting an in-depth review of selected cases involving abuse, neglect, exploitation,
or mortality of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The Advisory
Committee will analyze trends, evaluate systemic responses to allegations, and
recommend improvements to prevention strategies, reporting processes, and
accountability measures. It will include individuals with lived experience, family
members, medical professionals, advocates, and state agency representatives.
