This bill amends New Jersey's bias intimidation law to explicitly include Sikhism as a protected class, recognizing the significant number of Sikhs in the state and the rising incidents of anti-Sikh hate crimes. The law now defines bias intimidation as actions taken with the intent to intimidate individuals based on their membership in a protected class, which now includes race, color, religion, gender, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ethnicity, and Sikhism. Additionally, the bill mandates that all local, county, and state law enforcement agencies report violations of this law to relevant state and federal agencies.

Furthermore, the bill outlines the responsibilities of the Office of the Attorney General, which includes developing training for law enforcement on Sikhism to prevent misclassification of hate incidents, coordinating public awareness campaigns, and reporting on educational initiatives related to Sikhism. It also expands the role of the Chief Diversity Officer to ensure that anti-Sikh hate definitions are incorporated into public entity policies. To support these initiatives, the bill appropriates $100,000 annually for three years from the General Fund for Sikh awareness educational efforts and outreach to the Sikh community.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 52:32-18.1