SENATE HEALTH, HUMAN SERVICES AND SENIOR CITIZENS COMMITTEE

STATEMENT TO

SENATE, No. 3441

with committee amendments

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

DATED:  DECEMBER 6, 2021

      The Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee reports favorably Senate Bill No. 3441. with committee amendments.

      As amended and reported, this bill requires the Commissioner of Human Services (commissioner) to develop a payment program that provides persons with autism spectrum disorder or intellectual and development disabilities individual travel budgets.  The program is to permit individuals to use the travel budget to pay for travel on the New Jersey Transit Corporation regular route bus, rail, and light rail network, pay-per-ride trips provided through county transportation agencies, and transportation network company and taxi services with drivers that have completed Passenger Assistance, Safety, and Sensitivity (PASS) training.

      The bill also requires the commissioner to develop rules and regulations that encourage the utilization of county transportation agency services for travel to and from day programs and employment sites, and for the department to coordinate with county transportation agencies to establish service to day programs and employment sites that are not currently served by county transportation agencies.

      As reported by the committee with amendments, Senate Bill No. 3441 is identical to Assembly Bill No. 5336 (1R) which was also reported by the committee on this date.

COMMITTEE AMENDMENTS

      The committee amendments clarify that the scope of the payment program is to provide travel budgets for persons diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

      The committee amendments revise the bill and require the Commissioner of Human Services to develop the payment program and develop rules and regulations encouraging the utilization of existing county transportation agency services for travel between day programs and employment sites, rather than the Director of the Division of Developmental Disabilities (division) in the Department of Human Services (department). 

      The committee amendments revise the bill to provide that the department, rather than the division, will coordinate county transportation agencies services if such services are not available for travel between day programs and employment sites.

      The committee amendments make technical changes to the title and synopsis of the bill to reflect these changes.