A bill that would amend the valuation of board and lodging in workers compensation claims passed the state Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee last week, moving it one step closer to law. S3772 (Lagana)/A5198 (Sampson) aligns compensation of board and lodging to market rate unless another rate is fixed at the time of hiring.
The New Jersey State Bar Association drafted the bill to update the current amount of $25 per week, which had not been amended since 1966. The NJSBA recommended amendments to not only ensure adequate compensation to injured workers whose compensation includes room and board, but also to ensure the legislation did not need to be further updated in the future.
Both the Senate and Assembly Labor committees passed the bill with no opposition. The bill remains pending in the Assembly Appropriations Committee. If passed, the bill faces a full vote in the Assembly.
Bill to Protect Vulnerable Adults in Certain Settings Advances
The New Jersey Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee advanced a bill that expands the definition of child abuse or neglect. The measure would include people ages 18 to 21 who have been abused, neglected or exploited by a teacher, employee, contractor or volunteer of an institution responsible for that person’s supervision as regulated by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). S3751 (Cryan)/A5636 (Reynolds-Jackson) faces a full vote in the Senate.
“Every young person in a state-regulated setting deserves to be safe, supported and treated with dignity,” Sen. Joe Cryan said. “This bill ensures that our responsibility to protect doesn’t end on a child’s eighteenth birthday. Extending these protections is about closing gaps in the system and reaffirming our duty to those still depending on our care.”
Currently, DCF’s investigatory authority is limited to individuals under age 18. Under this bill, DCF would assume full responsibility for these investigations involving people up to age 21 within its regulated facilities and programs. Illinois and Ohio have similar laws.
The NJSBA is monitoring the measure.
Revisions to Civil Commitments Protocol Permits Extensions of Holds an Additional 72 Hours
The state Administrative Office of the Courts announced new extensions for hospitals to hold people involved in civil commitments. The Judiciary issued Directive #06-25, which revised the protocol for filing an emergent application to the court for a temporary order for the continued hold of a patient in civil commitment matters. The directive reflects amendments to N.J.S.A. 30:4-27.9a which allows a general hospital, rather than a psychiatric hospital, or an emergency department within a general hospital to submit emergent applications to the court for a temporary order permitting the continued hold of an individual for up to an additional 72 hours beyond the initial 72-hour period typically allowed in civil commitment matters.
The law was amended in July to change the protocols for filing emergent applications. The law revises civil commitments in several additional ways; read more in the Notice to the Bar here.