The A-5326/S-4250 was favorably released from the Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee on January 4. This legislation establishes the Community Crisis Response Advisory Council and launches a pilot program for Community Crisis Response Teams.
The 13-member Community Crisis Response Advisory Council would be created to guide best practices and recommendations for community crisis response. The Council will include the Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Services, the Assistant Commissioner of the Division of HIV, STD, and TB Services, the Director of Emergency Medical Services, the Attorney General, the Division of Violence Intervention and Victim Assistance Executive Director, the Division of Fire Safety Director, and seven public members appointed by the Governor, with recommendations from the Senate President and the Speaker of the General Assembly.
The Deputy Commissioner of Public Health Services will serve as the chairperson, and the members will meet at least six times a year. All meetings will be open to the public, with agendas, minutes, and related documents made available online. Public members will serve for three-year terms and can be reappointed, while the Council will be supported by state, county, and municipal departments and agencies.
The Commissioner of Health will be tasked with establishing a pilot program in Camden, Essex, Hudson, Mercer, Middlesex, and Passaic Counties. This program will allow eligible municipalities and community-based organizations to operate community crisis response teams. The Commissioner will develop a request for proposals, review submissions, create a scoring panel, and issue grant awards. The Council will not be involved in the grant award process, and affiliated organizations will not be disqualified from applying.
Grants will be used for project planning, community engagement, staffing, facilities, operational costs, training, program evaluation, and service interventions prioritizing human services over law enforcement. Eligible applicants will need to demonstrate a relationship with a State-approved harm reduction center or similar services and engage the community in the development of their community crisis response team.
The Commissioner will submit annual reports on the pilot program's status and a final report three years after enactment, outlining outcomes and recommendations for expanding community crisis response models in New Jersey. A sum of $12 million will be appropriated from the General Fund to support the council's activities and the pilot program. The Department of Health will adopt necessary regulations on an expedited basis to implement the act's purposes.
Contact: Andrew LaFevre, LegislativeAnalyst, 609-695-3481 x. 116 or alafevre@njlm.org