New Jersey S 1196: Renames Office of Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, creates position of deputy ombudsman, and expands duties of office.

Bill Text

S1196 

SENATE, No. 1196 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Senator KRISTIN M. CORRADO

District 40 (Bergen, Essex and Passaic)

Senator ANGELA V. MCKNIGHT

District 31 (Hudson)

SYNOPSIS

���� Renames Office of Ombudsman for Individuals with 
Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities, creates position of deputy 
ombudsman, and expands duties of office.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning the name of the Office of the 
Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and 
Their Families and amending and supplementing P.L.2017, c.269.

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

���� 1.� Section 1 of P.L.2017, 
c.269 (C.30:1AA-9.1) is amended to read as follows:

���� 1.� a.� (1)� There is 
established in but not of the Department of the Treasury the Office of the 
Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and 
their Families.� For the purpose of complying with the provisions of Article V, 
Section IV, paragraph 1 of the New Jersey Constitution, the Office of the 
Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and 
their Families is hereby allocated within the Department of the Treasury, but 
notwithstanding this allocation, the office shall be independent of any 
supervision or control by the department or any board or officer thereof, or 
any other cabinet-level department, board, or officer thereof.� The purpose of 
the ombudsman is to serve as a resource to provide information and support to 
individuals with intellectual or developmental disabilities and their families.

���� (2) On or after the 
effective date of P.L.��� , c.��� (C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature 
as this bill), the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or 
Developmental Disabilities and Their Families, established by this subsection, shall 
be entitled and known as the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with 
Disabilities and Their Families.� The revised and expanded purpose of the 
Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Disabilities and Their Families, 
and of the ombudsman thereof, shall be to serve as a resource for, and provide 
information and support to, all individuals with disabilities and their 
families.

���� (3) Whenever, in any law, 
rule, regulation, judicial or administrative proceeding, or otherwise, reference 
is made to the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals with Intellectual or 
Developmental Disabilities and Their Families or to the ombudsman thereof, the 
same shall mean and refer, respectively, to the Office of the Ombudsman for Individuals 
with Disabilities and Their Families and the ombudsman thereof.

���� b.� (1) The Governor 
shall appoint an [Ombudsman 
for Individuals with Intellectual or Developmental Disabilities and their 
Families] 
ombudsman, who shall be qualified by training and experience to perform 
the duties of the office.� The ombudsman shall be a person of recognized 
judgment, integrity, and objectivity, [and] shall be 
skilled in communication[,] and 
conflict resolution, and [professionalism] shall have 
personal or professional experience with individuals with disabilities and 
their families.� 

���� (2) The ombudsman appointed 
pursuant to this subsection shall select and appoint a deputy ombudsman to 
support the ombudsman in the execution of the ombudsman�s duties.� The deputy 
ombudsman shall be authorized to act in the ombudsman�s stead and perform all 
relevant duties of the ombudsman in any case where:� (a) the ombudsman is 
unavailable, due to illness, disability, leave, or other absence; or (b) the 
ombudsman, in the ombudsman�s sole discretion, determines that there is an 
appearance of impropriety or partiality or a conflict of interest that prevents 
the ombudsman from effectively discharging his or her duties in any particular 
matter.

���� c.� The ombudsman shall hire 
sufficient professional and clerical staff and organize and direct the work 
of the office, including the work of such professional and clerical staff, 
as may be necessary to carry out the ombudsman's duties under P.L.2017, 
c.269 (C.30:1AA-9.1 et seq.), as amended and supplemented by P.L.��� , c.��� 
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill).� All employees of 
the office shall serve at the pleasure of the ombudsman.� The ombudsman, or the 
deputy ombudsman acting in the ombudsman�s stead, may delegate, to any employee 
of the office, any of the authorities, duties, or powers granted under P.L.2017, 
c.269 (C.30:1AA-9.1 et seq.), as amended and supplemented by P.L.��� , c.��� 
(C.������� ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), except for the 
delegation authority granted pursuant to this subsection or the reporting 
duties contained in section 3 of P.L.2017, c