S.1271/A.2233: Requires certain cities to establish a Second Chance Council to develop a plan to increase jobs for released criminals and high school dropouts.

A.2023/S.1348: Establishes Prisoner Re-entry Commission in the D.O.C.

A.2393: Permits candidates for school employment and school bus drivers to demonstrate rehabilitation to the Commissioner of Education to avoid disqualification due to a criminal history record check.

S.1408: Permits certain persons convicted of welfare fraud to be employed by a school district after proving rehabilitation.

A.2024: Establishes the Prisoners Reentry Bill of Rights.

A.2021: Requires county sheriff to establish procedure to assist pre-release inmates applying for certain assistance.

S.501/A.2026: Allows corporation business and income tax credits to businesses employing qualified ex-offenders.

S.505: Creates Internet-based program to assist certain pre-release inmates; appropriates $1 million.

A.1212: Provides voter registration assistance to persons completing parole, probation and criminal sentences.

A.748: Extends right to vote to certain individuals on probation.

A.687: Requires the Juvenile Justice Commission to assist juveniles released from incarceration in obtaining certain documents including driver’s license, social security card, ID card, birth certificate, etc.

S.1970/A.3198: Allows persons on parole and probation to vote; provides voter registration assistance to persons on probation, parolees, and persons completing sentences.

A.3167: Directs Dept. of Corrections to provide employment assistance to inmates prior to release.

S.2205: Increases compensation for persons wrongfully imprisoned.

S.2158: Provides reimbursement for fines, restitution and certain fees paid by persons mistakenly convicted and incarcerated; provides for automatic expungement.

CRIMINAL JUSTICE

A.2025/S.1542: Would reduce the drug-free zones from 1,000 feet around schools and 500 feet around public property to 200 feet.

A.2420: Establishes the Criminal Code Review Commission.

S.1532: Decrease the penalty for certain parole technical violations.

A.1394: Requires evidence be retained indefinitely in homicide cases and until defendant’s sentence expires in sexual assault cases.

A.807/S.1471: Authorizes a court to provide alternatives for persons who default in payment of fines.

S.536/A1266: Creates a permanent Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing.

S.1866/A.2762 – Authorizes Court to waive or reduce parole ineligibility or grant probation for certain drug-free school zone violations.

S.1880/A.2894 – Establish a Criminal Sentencing Commission and repeals existing commissions.

S.1946 – Eliminates automatic disqualification from Intensive Supervision Program of persons who previously participated in the program. (Signed into Law)

EXPUNGEMENT

S.771: Expands eligibility for expungement of criminal and juvenile delinquency records.

S.1472: Reduces the amount of time that must elapse before a person convicted of an indictable offense is eligible for expungement.

S.1030: Permits a person to seal a criminal record after five years.

A.1835: Permits immediate and automatic expungement of court records where the person is acquitted or discharged, or where the charges have been dismissed.

A.1562: Authorizes automatic expungement of law enforcement officers’ records when not guilty of criminal charges filed in the course of official duties.

A.802: Eliminates the need to petition for an expungement.

A.1771: Streamlines the procedure to expunge a criminal record.

HIV/AIDS

S.631: Permits limited pharmacy sales of syringes without a prescription.

PRISON REFORM

A.797: Establishes a computers for schools program in the NJ Dept. of Corrections.

A.542: Creates a rehabilitative equine program in D.O.C.

A.496: Appropriates $5 million to D.O.C for addiction treatment services

A.497: Appropriates $5 million to D.O.C for education, vocational and job training.

A.1103: Establishes a pilot program in D.O.C for certain tattoo removal.

S.1347: Considers the cost of inmates’ telephone surcharges to phone users.

A.1266/S.536: Creates a permanent Commission to Review Criminal Sentencing.

S.122: Establishes an advocacy pilot program for mentally ill offenders.

SEXUAL VIOLENCE

S.1225: Requires notification of rape care advocates under certain circumstances by law enforcement, prosecutors and medical providers.

S.1106/A.1563: Expand the definitions and enhance the penalties found in the state’s stalking statute.

A.1942: Requires owners and employees of international labor matching or matchmaking organizations to undergo background check and these organizations’ clients be given domestic violence information.

A.1644: Appropriates $250,000 to the NJ Dept. of Community Affairs for grants to rape crisis centers.

A.183: Requires mandatory sexual violence training for law enforcement, judicial and prosecutorial personnel.

A.1215: Creates a new $100 assessment for convictions of certain sexual offenses to fund counseling for victims and their families.

A.677: Enhance the harassment provisions of the stalking statute.

A.2277: Permits minors to consent to forensic care or treatment in the event of sexual assault or abuse.

AJR 101 – Designates April 28 of each year as “Denim Day” for rape awareness. (Passed)

S.677/A.677/A.573: Creates the New Jersey Security and Financial Empowerment Act to assist victims of domestic violence and sexual assault.

S.1813 – Requires international matchmaking organizations to provide domestic violence hotline information to their members and obtain a criminal history check for all of their clients.

AR71 – Urges Attorney General to provide additional funding to Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner programs through New Jersey. (Passed)

S.1228: Allows gross income tax deduction for 50% of donations of $100 or more to domestic violence shelters.

A.746: Requires a court, prior to granting a domestic violence victim’s application to dissolve a restraining order, to make a finding that the domestic violence victim was not subject to coercion.

A.122/S.105: Creates the Domestic Violence Health Care Response Program, which would train health and mental health professionals to improve hospital, health center and clinic response to domestic violence victims seeking medical treatment, as well as to provide mental health professionals with the ability to identify domestic violence offenders who are harmful to themselves and others.

A.1210/S.737: Allows victims of domestic violence where the victim does not know the defendant, or where the defendant is a casual acquaintance or co-worker to obtain restraining orders.

A.126/S.106: Clarifies goal of domestic violence public awareness campaign pertaining to risk factors, requires that public awareness notices include language used by substantial segments of local populations.

A.127/S107: Directs the Division on Women to conduct an audit of the coordination of community responses to domestic violence.

A.677/S.667/A.573: See Sexual Violence.

A.1403/A.1419: Permits a court to include animals in domestic violence restraining orders.

A.1792/S.993: Establishes the New Jersey Task Force on Domestic Violence and Abuse.

A.301/S.868: Requires court to consider results of domestic violence assessment before dissolving certain domestic violence restraining orders.

A.1646: Provides state aid to municipalities for certain tax-exempt group homes, including domestic violence shelters.

A.1530: Establishes the authority of the court to order electronic monitoring of certain convicted domestic violence offenders.

A.571/S.1096: Provides that impairing another person’s means of communication may constitute as an act of domestic violence.

A.572: Domestic Violence and Workforce Development Initiative.

A.232/S.1513: Requires notification of certain domestic violence victims through the Victim Information and Notification Everyday System in the Dept. of Law and Public Safety.

POVERTY

S.1622: Requires that properties that were created as affordable housing units will maintain that designation even if the property is resold due to a foreclosure.

A.2513: Provides for voluntary contributions by taxpayers on gross income tax returns to Community Food Pantry Fund.

S.1180: Establishes NJ Task Force on Coordinating and Funding Programs for the homeless.

A.1715: Removes license suspension penalty for persons with only one outstanding parking fine.

A.1744: Requires under Fair Housing Act that a certain percentage of affordable housing be reserved for very low-income households.

A.1865: Requires transportation services under Work First NJ program be provided for two years to recipients earning less than $12 an hour.

S.1302/A.1766: Allows a court to revoke a driver’s license suspension for compelling circumstances.

A.2108: Raises minimum wage to $7.40 an hour and then makes annual adjustments based on Consumer Price Index increases.

S.784: Raises minimum wage to $8.50 and then makes annual adjustments based on increases in the statewide average weekly wage.

A.340: Would permit judges and the Motor Vehicle Commission greater flexibility when dealing with drivers who fail to appear in court or pay parking tickets by allowing them to suspend a motorist’s registration rather than a license.

A.341: Would allow drivers with suspended licenses because of unpaid surcharges, to restore their driving privileges by paying at least five percent of each outstanding surcharge owed.  It would also permit the creation of installment payment plans of up to three years, an increase over the current one-year plans.

A.2504: Prohibits a facility that provides cancer related diagnostic and treatment services from denying services to a patient on the basis of source of payment or inability to pay.

A.2292: Prohibits “English Only” rules in the workplace.  In addition, bars employment discrimination based upon family status.

A.118/S.96: Permits physicians to earn continuing medical education credits by providing free medical care to low income, uninsured patients.

A.1615: Provides for voluntary contributions to the Homelessness Prevention Program through real estate sales.

A.1411: Establishes the NJ Council on Child Poverty.

A.1740: Provides financial assistance for higher education expenses of former Work First NJ recipients after leaving the program.

A.1745: Appropriates $1 million to Dept. of Community Affairs for rental assistance.

A.1747: Provides for an annual inflation adjustment to the income eligibility limit under the state earned income tax credit.

A.699: Defines a minimum wage as “the average hourly wage for all in this state means one fortieth of the statewide average weekly wage paid to all workers under the unemployment compensation law”.

A.1030: Revises the mandatory license suspension for a first offense of driving without insurance from one year to a period of two months up to one year.