Government Leaders, Autism New Jersey, Families, and Providers Achieve Milestone Toward Common Goal
On January 18, 2026, Governor Phil Murphy signed three new bills into law that strengthen protections to reduce abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) living in group home settings.
Autism New Jersey applauds Governor Murphy and legislative leaders for increasing oversight and accountability that will help prevent harm, promote safety, and uphold the rights and dignity of people with disabilities across New Jersey.
“We thank Governor Murphy, prime sponsors Senator Vitale and Assemblywoman Murphy, Senate President Scutari, Assembly Speaker Coughlin, and the entire Legislature who provided overwhelming support for advancing legislation that strengthens oversight and prioritizes accountability,” said Dr. Suzanne Buchanan of Autism New Jersey. “Protecting vulnerable individuals demands a system where government, providers, advocacy organizations, and families work together with urgency, recognizing that each perspective is essential to building a safer system. That’s why Autism New Jersey and many others worked hard to gain consensus on critical provisions, moving New Jersey closer to a system designed to prevent harm and continuously improve quality of care.”
From the outset, Autism New Jersey worked alongside families and providers as advocacy partners to help shape S3750, a bill that enhances safeguards against abuse and neglect and establishes fines while recognizing the complexity of operating a strong, sustainable system of care. Through our joint advocacy, we emphasized the importance of:
- Policies that support quality improvement rather than reduce service capacity
- Clear and fair standards for provider accountability
- A balanced approach that centers safety while recognizing real-world service delivery challenges
In collaboration with families and provider associations, we facilitated dialogue and offered thoughtful amendments to ensure the bill would strengthen accountability without creating unintended consequences for service access or quality.
The other two measures also bring enhanced clarity and processes to abuse and neglect investigations. S3751/A5636 expands the definition of child abuse and neglect to include certain regulated settings serving individuals up to age 21. The new law is intended to help ensure incidents involving young adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities are investigated by the appropriate child-protection authority. S3754/A5638 establishes a Disability Mortality and Abuse Prevention Advisory Committee to review cases involving abuse, neglect, exploitation, or death and to recommend improvements to prevention, reporting, and accountability across systems.
The passage of these bills into law reflects what is possible when government leaders, families, providers, and advocates from all sides work together. Autism New Jersey remains committed to advancing policies that both protect individuals with IDD and strengthen the workforce and agencies they rely on.
Autism New Jersey will continue to provide updates as state agencies develop and issue regulations for these laws.