The NJSBA supports S2395 (Scutari)/A3707 (Coughlin), which makes changes to the New Jersey Task Force on Child Abuse and Neglect and establishes caseload standards. The NJSBA believes the significant changes reflected in the bill will positively enhance New Jersey’s child welfare system. As the state’s largest legal organization, the NJSBA’s membership includes attorneys who have a wealth of practical experience and knowledge in all aspects of the child welfare system, including the history of the development of the law in this area. While the members enumerated in the bill that will make up the task force provide a number of perspectives, the NJSBA believes its membership can provide a unique and valuable viewpoint to the discussion and debate in which the task force will engage. For that reason, the NJSBA urges that it be included as a designated organization in the task force membership. Our members include attorneys with experience beyond child welfare matters and can offer practical recommendations and have useful insights into crossover areas of law such as domestic violence, family court, custody, criminal law and education issues. We believe our members would offer significant contributions to the critical work of the task force.
For these reasons, the NJSBA urges you to vote yes and to consider a friendly amendment to add an NJSBA representative to the task force.