SENATE, No. 475
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
216th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2014 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator FRED H. MADDEN, JR.
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Senator STEPHEN M. SWEENEY
District 3 (Cumberland, Gloucester and Salem)
Assemblywoman GABRIELA M. MOSQUERA
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblyman JAY WEBBER
District 26 (Essex, Morris and Passaic)
Assemblyman PAUL D. MORIARTY
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblyman RAJ MUKHERJI
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblyman CARMELO G. GARCIA
District 33 (Hudson)
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Gordon, Ruiz, Assemblyman Space, Assemblywomen Vainieri Huttle, Pinkin, Assemblyman Peterson and Assemblywoman Phoebus
SYNOPSIS
Requires certain information regarding Down syndrome be provided to certain parents and families.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Health and Human Services Committee on September 15, 2014, with amendments.
An Act concerning Down syndrome and supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. a. The Department of Health shall make available 1on the department’s Internet website,1 to any person who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling of parents who receive a prenatal or postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome 1,1 the following: (1) up-to-date, evidence-based, written information about Down syndrome that has been reviewed by medical experts and national Down syndrome organizations, including 1, but not limited to, the Center for Disease Control and the March of Dimes, which information shall include1 physical 1,1 developmental, educational, and psychosocial outcomes 1[:] ;1 (2) life expectancy, clinical course, and intellectual and functional development and treatment options; and (3) contact information regarding telephone 1[and online assistance]1 and support services, including information hotlines specific to Down syndrome, resource centers 1[or clearinghouses]1, and other education and support programs. The department may also make such information available to any other person who has received a positive test result from a test for Down syndrome. 1This information may be revised by the department as new information about Down syndrome becomes available.1
b. Information provided under this section shall be 1[culturally and linguistically appropriate] in English and Spanish, and in a manner that is easily understandable1 for women receiving a positive prenatal diagnosis or for the family of a child receiving a postnatal diagnosis of Down syndrome.
12. Any physician, health care provider, nurse midwife, or genetic counselor who renders prenatal care, postnatal care, or genetic counseling shall, upon receipt of a positive test result from a test for Down syndrome, provide the expectant or new parent with the information that is provided by the Department of Health under section 1 of this act.1
1[2.] 3.1 This act shall take effect on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment.