New Jersey A 591: Allows commercial farmer to recover reasonable costs and attorney fees of defending against unreasonable complaints under "Right to Farm Act."

Bill Text

A591 

ASSEMBLY, No. 591 

STATE OF NEW JERSEY

222nd LEGISLATURE

� 

PRE-FILED FOR INTRODUCTION IN THE 2026 SESSION

Sponsored by:

Assemblyman GARY S. SCHAER

District 36 (Bergen and Passaic)

SYNOPSIS

���� Imposes requirements on certain pediatric emergency 
departments; requires DOH to include information on pediatric emergency 
departments in its annual hospital performance report.

CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT 

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

�� 

An Act concerning pediatric emergency departments and 
supplementing Title 26 of the Revised Statutes.

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

���� 1.��� a.� A general hospital 
licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) shall not advertise or 
otherwise hold itself out to the public as providing the services of a 
level-one pediatric emergency department unless the requirements set forth in 
this subsection are met.� 

���� (1)�� The hospital shall 
maintain a separate, designated pediatric emergency department exclusively for 
the care of pediatric patients;

���� (2)�� The director of the 
pediatric emergency department shall be a board certified pediatric emergency 
medicine physician, and shall not serve in the capacity of director of any 
other pediatric emergency department.

���� (3)�� The nurse with 
day-to-day managerial responsibility for nursing in the pediatric emergency 
department shall be a certified pediatric emergency nurse, and shall not serve 
in a managerial capacity at any other pediatric emergency department.

���� (4)�� The pediatric emergency 
department shall operate and be staffed on a 24-hour basis with one of the 
following:

���� (a)�� a board certified 
pediatric emergency physician;

���� (b)�� a board eligible 
pediatric emergency physician;

���� (c)�� a board certified 
pediatrician with at least three years of experience working in a pediatric 
emergency department; or

���� (d)�� a board certified 
general emergency medicine physician with at least three years of experience 
working in a pediatric emergency department.

���� (5)�� The hospital shall 
maintain staff in the following subspecialties:

���� (a)�� pediatric 
anesthesiology;

���� (b)�� pediatric cardiology;

���� (c)�� pediatric 
hematology/oncology;

���� (d)�� pediatric infectious 
diseases;

���� (e)�� pediatric nephrology;

���� (f)�� pediatric neurology;

���� (g)�� pediatric orthopedics;

���� (h)�� pediatric pulmonology;

���� (i)��� pediatric radiology; 
and

���� (j)��� pediatric surgery.

���� (6)�� The hospital shall 
maintain a formal consultative relationship with the following physician 
subspecialists, who shall be available for consultations within one hour of a 
request for consultation:

���� (a)�� pediatric 
endocrinologist;

���� (b)�� pediatric 
gastroenterologist;

���� (c)�� pediatric neurosurgeon;

���� (d)�� pediatric 
otolaryngologist;

���� (e)�� pediatric urologist; and

���� (f)�� pediatric 
ophthalmologist.

���� (7)�� The hospital shall 
maintain separate pediatric inpatient and pediatric intensive care units in the 
hospital.

���� b.��� A general hospital 
licensed pursuant to P.L.1971, c.136 (C.26:2H-1 et seq.) shall not advertise or 
otherwise hold itself out to the public as providing the services of a 
level-two pediatric emergency department unless the requirements set forth in 
this subsection are met.

���� (1)�� The hospital shall 
maintain a designated space for the care of pediatric patients.

���� (2)�� The director of the 
pediatric emergency department shall be a board certified pediatric emergency 
medicine physician, and shall not serve in the capacity of director of any 
other pediatric emergency department.

���� (3)�� The nurse with 
day-to-day managerial responsibility for nursing in the pediatric emergency 
department shall be a certified pediatric emergency nurse, and shall not serve 
in a managerial capacity at any other pediatric emergency department.

���� (4)�� The hospital shall have 
a separate pediatric inpatient unit or pediatric intensive care unit, or shall 
have a formal transfer agreement in place with a hospital that provides the 
services of a level-one pediatric emergency pursuant to subsection a. of this 
section.

���� (5)�� The hospital shall 
maintain a formal consultative relationship with the following physician 
subspecialists, who shall be available for consultations within one hour of a 
request for consultation:

���� (a)� pediatric 
anesthesiologist;

���� (b)� pediatric cardiologist;

���� (c)� pediatric 
hematologist/oncologist;

���� (d)� pediatric infectious 
disease specialist;

���� (e)� pediatric nephrologist;

���� (f)� pediatric neurologist;

���� (g)� pediatric orthopedist;

���� (h)� pediatric pulmonologist;

���� (i)� pediatric radiologist; 

���� (j)� pediatric surgeon;

���� (k)� pediatric 
endocrinologist;

���� (l)� pediatric 
gastroenterologist;

���� (m)� pediatric neurosu