Sponsored by:
Senator NELLIE POU
District 35 (Bergen and Passaic)
Senator RAJ MUKHERJI
District 32 (Hudson)
Co-Sponsored by:
Senator McKnight
SYNOPSIS
Directs Office of Public Defender to provide legal representation for certain criminal contempt violations.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As reported by the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 16, 2024, with amendments.
An Act concerning representation by the Office of the Public Defender in certain domestic violence contempt violation cases and supplementing Title 2A of the New Jersey Statutes.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. 1a.1 The Public Defender shall, in the manner prescribed by P.L.1967, c. 43 (C. 2A:158A-1 et seq.), provide representation to any indigent defendant charged under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:29-9 with contempt for the violation of an order entered pursuant to the provisions of the “Prevention of Domestic violence Act of 1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et seq.).
1b. The Public Defender shall appoint social workers licensed or certified pursuant to the "Social Workers' Licensing Act of 1991," P.L.1991, c.134 (C.45:15BB-1 et seq.), to assist attorneys and their clients charged under subsection b. of N.J.S.2C:29-9 with contempt for the violation of an order entered pursuant to the provisions of the “Prevention of Domestic Violence Act of 1991,” P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-17 et seq.).
c.1 Orders entered pursuant to paragraphs (3), (4), (5), (8), and (9) of subsection b. of section 13 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-29) or substantially similar orders entered under the laws of another state or the United States shall be excluded from the provisions of this section.
2. This act shall take effect 1[immediately] on the first day of the fourth month next following the date of enactment1.