New Jersey A 2238: Requires correctional police officers to wear body worn cameras and security camera systems to be installed in State correctional facilities.

Bill Text

A2238 

ASSEMBLY, No. 2238 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblywoman SHANIQUE SPEIGHT

District 29 (Essex and Hudson)

Assemblyman� ANTHONY S. VERRELLI

District 15 (Hunterdon and Mercer)

SYNOPSIS

���� Provides certain employment protections for certified 
doulas.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

���� Introduced Pending Technical Review by Legislative 
Counsel.

�� 

An Act concerning certain employment protections for certified 
doulas and supplementing Title 34 of the Revised Statutes.

���� Be It 
Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of 
the State of New Jersey:

���� 1.��� a.� An employer shall 
not discharge, harass, or otherwise discriminate or retaliate or threaten to 
discharge, harass, or otherwise discriminate or retaliate against an employee 
with respect to the hiring, compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of 
employment on the basis that the employee fails to report for work as a result 
of the employee�s duty as a certified doula to attend a birth for a client who 
is in active labor provided the employee provides the employer with advance 
notice at least one hour before the need to attend a birth in the employee�s 
capacity as a certified doula.� If advance notice is not feasible, the employee 
shall provide notice as soon as practicable.

���� b.��� No employer shall be 
required to pay any employee for any work time that the employee misses while 
serving as a certified doula pursuant to subsection a.; provided, however, a certified 
doula may charge the absence as a vacation day or a sick day, if the certified 
doula has such days available.

���� c.��� Upon a violation of 
subsection a. of this section, an employee or former employee may institute a 
civil action in the Superior Court for relief.� All remedies available in 
common law tort actions shall be available to a prevailing plaintiff.� The 
court may also order any or all of the following relief:

���� (1)� an assessment of a civil 
fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $2,000 for the first violation 
of any of the provisions of this section and not more than $5,000 for each 
subsequent violation;

���� (2)� an injunction to restrain 
the continued violation of any of the provisions of this section;

���� (3)� reinstatement of the 
employee to the same position or to a position equivalent to that which the 
employee held prior to unlawful discharge or retaliatory action;

���� (4)� reinstatement of full 
fringe benefits and seniority rights;

���� (5)� compensation for any lost 
wages, benefits and other remuneration; and

���� (6)� payment of reasonable 
costs and attorney's fees.

���� d.��� As used in this section, 
�certified doula� means a trained professional who provides continuous 
physical, emotional, and informational support to a pregnant woman before, 
during, and shortly after childbirth and who has received and maintains 
certification to perform doula services from a doula training program approved 
by the New Jersey Department of Human Services.

���� 2.��� This act shall take 
effect immediately.

STATEMENT

���� This bill provides certain 
employment protections for an employee who fails to report for work because of the 
employee�s duty as a certified doula to attend a birth for a client who is in 
active labor.

���� Under the bill, an employer 
would be prohibited from discharging, harassing, or otherwise discriminating or 
retaliating or threatening the same against an employee with respect to the 
hiring, compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment on the 
basis that the employee fails to report for work as a result of the employee�s 
duty as a certified doula to attend a birth for a client who is in active labor.� 
This protection is available, however, only if the

employee provides the employer with 
advance notice at least one hour before the need to attend a birth in the 
employee�s capacity as a certified doula.� If advance notice is not feasible, 
the employee will provide notice as soon as practicable.

���� The provisions of the bill do 
not require an employer to pay an employee who misses work because that 
employee is rendering certified doula services.� However, the bill permits an 
employee to charge the absence as a vacation or a sick day and in that way be 
paid for the day.

���� The bill provides that if an 
employer violates its provisions, an employee or former employee would be 
authorized to institute a civil action in the Superior Court for relief. �All 
remedies available in common law tort actions would be available to a 
prevailing plaintiff. Additionally, the bill provides that a court would be 
authorized to order any or all of the following relief:

���� (1)� an assessment of a civil 
fine of not less than $1,000 and not more than $2,000 for the first violation 
of any of the provisions of this section and not more than $5,000 for each 
subsequent violation;

���