New jersey state capitol building in trenton — New Jersey State Capitol Building in Trenton

TRENTON, N.J. – A New Jersey Senate committee has advanced legislation that would require the state Attorney General to develop model policies governing how state and local agencies interact with federal civil law enforcement at locations considered sensitive, such as hospitals, schools, shelters, and houses of worship.

The Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday reported favorably on Senate Bill No. 5036 with amendments. The proposal aims to ensure that all residents can safely access essential public services and facilities without fear of immigration enforcement or other federal civil actions interfering.

Under the amended bill, the Attorney General would be tasked with consulting state agencies, local governments, and community stakeholders to create the policies. Sensitive locations would include hospitals and health care facilities, public and private schools, domestic violence and family shelters, food pantries, correctional facilities, courthouses, and disaster or emergency response sites. The policies would be published online by the Department of Law and Public Safety.

The measure would also require several state departments — including Community Affairs, Children and Families, Health, Human Services, Education, and Corrections — as well as the Administrative Office of the Courts, to adopt the Attorney General’s model policies or implement their own with stronger protections within 180 days of issuance. Each department would be required to post its adopted policies publicly on its website.

Amendments to the bill clarified that the Commissioner of Health must require health care facilities to adopt comparable policies, rather than mandating direct compliance with the Attorney General’s version, and that all agencies must make their policies publicly accessible online. The Commissioner of Education would also be required to ensure public schools adopt the model policies and encourage private schools to do the same.

Additionally, the Attorney General would develop a separate model policy for places of worship, in consultation with faith leaders, to ensure that congregants can enter without fear of interference or intimidation. That policy would also be published on the Department of Law and Public Safety website.

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