SENATE, No. 386
STATE OF NEW JERSEY
219th LEGISLATURE
PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2020 SESSION
Sponsored by:
Senator LORETTA WEINBERG
District 37 (Bergen)
Senator TROY SINGLETON
District 7 (Burlington)
Assemblywoman NANCY F. MUNOZ
District 21 (Morris, Somerset and Union)
Assemblywoman VALERIE VAINIERI HUTTLE
District 37 (Bergen)
Assemblywoman JOANN DOWNEY
District 11 (Monmouth)
Assemblywoman GABRIELA M. MOSQUERA
District 4 (Camden and Gloucester)
Assemblywoman PAMELA R. LAMPITT
District 6 (Burlington and Camden)
Assemblyman DANIEL R. BENSON
District 14 (Mercer and Middlesex)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senators Brown, Corrado, Bateman, Ruiz, Pou, Assemblyman Johnson, Assemblywoman McKnight, Assemblymen McKeon, Wimberly, Houghtaling, Assemblywomen Murphy, Timberlake and Reynolds-Jackson
SYNOPSIS
Establishes mandatory domestic violence training for municipal prosecutors.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on June 21, 2021, with amendments.
An Act concerning domestic violence training and amending P.L.1999, c.349.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 10 of P.L.1999, c.349 (C.2B:25-10) is amended to read as follows:
10. a. (1) The Attorney General in consultation with the county and municipal prosecutors [may] shall develop curricula for training programs for all municipal prosecutors which shall include, but not be limited to, domestic violence training 1and include topics regarding the dynamics of domestic violence, the impact of domestic violence on children, the impact of trauma on survivors, risks for lethality in domestic violence cases, offenders accountability, safety planning and services for survivors of domestic violence, the impact of racial bias and discrimination on survivors and marginalized communities1.
(2) Participation in such training programs shall be voluntary, except that participation in the domestic violence training program shall be mandatory. An attorney successfully completing a training program shall receive such certification or recognition as deemed appropriate by the Attorney General.
b. The domestic violence training course and curriculum shall be reviewed at least every two years and modified by the Division of Criminal Justice from time to time as need may require.
The Attorney General shall be responsible for ensuring that all 1new1 municipal prosecutors 1appointed after the effective date of P.L. , c. who have not previously served as a municipal prosecutor for a municipality1 attend an initial domestic violence training within 90 days of appointment or transfer and annual 1[inservice] in-service1 training of at least four hours as described in paragraph (3) of subsection b. of section 4 of P.L. 1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-20). 1The training shall not be required for any municipal prosecutor who was appointed to that office prior to the effective date of P.L. , c. who is subsequently re-appointed to that office or appointed as a municipal prosecutor for another municipality after that effective date.1
(cf: P.L.1999, c.349, s.10)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.