Policy

NJCEDV and domestic violence providers in each of the 21 counties are partially funded through allocations made in the annual state budget to the Department of Children and Families’ Division on Women (DOW). Contact your legislators today! Tell them to support a legislative add-on of $3M for  domestic violence services in the FY22 State Budget.

• • The pandemic has had a dire impact on survivors of domestic violence increasing the isolation and danger they were already experiencing, and intensifying their needs as the pandemic has continued.
  • COVID-19 never stopped advocates from serving survivors and communities as programs quickly transitioned services to ensure survivors were able to access crisis intervention, counseling and advocacy services, as well as safely distanced emergency safe housing- responding to a 40-70% increase in requests for help by the end of 2020, when compared to 2019.
  • Culturally specific organizations, who provide linguistically and culturally necessary services, were critical throughout this crisis. Yet, they currently receive no state funding for domestic violence services.
  • Programs are facing a 30% decrease in federal Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) funding in the coming fiscal year.
  • Learn more: The Impact of COVID-19 Intensifies the Shadow Pandemic of Domestic Violence in New Jersey, a report by Partners for Women and Justice, and Seton Hall Law School Center for Social Justice.

S386/A1763 (Weinberg/Munoz)Mandates domestic violence training for municipal prosecutors.

S382/A1769 (Weinberg/Munoz)- requires uniform response procedures for domestic violence crisis teams  

S383/A1772 (Weinberg/Munoz) establishes standards for BIPs in DV cases.  

S387/A1771 (Weinberg/Munoz) Seeks to expand services for children who have experienced domestic violence statewide.

S1146/A1078 (Ruiz/Speight)– Requires domestic violence orders to be issued in other languages in addition to English under certain circumstances.

S3112/A4920 (Gopal/Downey)– Requires obstetrical providers to conduct domestic violence screening, and for all health providers to protect a victim’s records from their perpetrator. 

SJR36/AJR30 (Cruz-Perez/Murphy) Establishes a “NJ Domestic Violence Legal Access Task Force.”