Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

LEGISLATIVE FISCAL ESTIMATE
                              [First Reprint]
                               ASSEMBLY, No. 1727
                             STATE OF NEW JERSEY
                              220th LEGISLATURE
                                          DATED: OCTOBER 26, 2022
                                                  SUMMARY
    Synopsis:                   Requires Attorney General to perform outreach and provide services
                                to victims of human trafficking under certain circumstances.
    Type of Impact:             Potential annual State expenditure increase.
    Agencies Affected:          Department of Law and Public Safety.
                                       Office of Legislative Services Estimate
    Fiscal Impact                                                         Annual
    Potential State Cost Increase                                      Indeterminate
    The Office of Legislative Services (OLS) concludes that this legislation should not result in an
     increase in State expenditures as the bill requires the Attorney General to utilize the existing
     resources of the Department of Law and Public Safety (DLPS) to perform outreach in the
     community, deliver services to victims of human trafficking, award grants through a pilot
     program, and evaluate the benefits of the pilot program. Absent information from the DLPS,
     however, the OLS cannot anticipate the resources the department would allocate or to what
     extent the DLPS may provide grants through a pilot program.
                                            BILL DESCRIPTION
    This bill requires the Attorney General to utilize the existing resources of the DLPS to perform
outreach in the community and deliver services to victims of human trafficking in conjunction
with other governmental entities.
    In addition, the bill authorizes the Attorney General to establish, within the limits of available
funds, a pilot program to award grants to service providers to perform outreach and deliver services
to victims of human trafficking in urban municipalities with the highest crime index in this State
and in municipalities located near major maritime transportation hubs.
    The bill provides that upon completion, any pilot program is to be evaluated to determine the
effectiveness of the pilot program, with a recommendation as to whether the pilot program should
be continued, expanded, or made permanent.
      Office of Legislative Services                                    Legislative Budget and Finance Office
           State House Annex                                                    Phone (609) 847-3105
              P.O. Box 068                                                       Fax (609) 777-2442
      Trenton, New Jersey 08625                                                  www.njleg.state.nj.us
                                           FE to A1727 [1R]
                                                  2
                                         FISCAL ANALYSIS
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
   None received.
OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE SERVICES
     The OLS concludes that this legislation should not result in an increase in State expenditures
as the bill requires the Attorney General to utilize the existing resources of the DLPS to perform
outreach in the community, deliver services to victims of human trafficking, award grants through
a pilot program, and evaluate the benefits of the pilot program.
     The OLS notes that the existing State of New Jersey Human Trafficking Task Force, affiliated
with the Attorney General and the Division of Criminal Justice, may meet the requirements of the
bill. The current goals of the Human Trafficking Task Force are to: 1) train and assist law
enforcement in methods of identifying victims and signs of trafficking in order to disrupt and
interdict this activity; 2) coordinate Statewide efforts in the identification and provision of services
to victims of human trafficking; and 3) increase the successful interdiction and prosecution of
trafficking of human persons.
     The bill requires the DLPS to perform outreach in the community and deliver services to
victims of human trafficking in conjunction with other governmental entities, such as the Victims
of Crime Compensation Office, and other victims’ rights organizations, examples of which include
the New Jersey Coalition Against Human Trafficking, the Covenant House of New Jersey in
Newark, Catholic Charities, Center for Family Services, Inc., Sanar Wellness Institute, and
POLARIS.
     Absent information from the DLPS, however, the OLS cannot anticipate the resources the
department would allocate or to what extent the DLPS may provide grants through a pilot program.
    Human Trafficking Background - Human trafficking is the second-largest criminal industry
in the world and is prevalent in all 50 states in the U.S. In 2020 alone, there were 146 reported
cases to the National Human Trafficking Hotline in New Jersey. These numbers only reflect cases
identified through the Hotline, and does not include cases identified by hospitals, law enforcement,
social service agencies, and others who help survivors directly without reporting. According to the
DLPS, from 2008 to December 2018, there were 102 human trafficking indictments and 52
convictions in New Jersey.
  Section:      Law and Public Safety
  Analyst:      Kristin Brunner Santos
                Lead Fiscal Analyst
  Approved:     Thomas Koenig
                Legislative Budget and Finance Officer
This legislative fiscal estimate has been produced by the Office of Legislative Services due to the
failure of the Executive Branch to respond to our request for a fiscal note.
This fiscal estimate has been prepared pursuant to P.L.1980, c.67 (C.52:13B-6 et seq.).