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Legislative and Advocacy Round-up

November 2021

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Brain Injury Resource Center

Whether you have a brain injury or concussion, are a caregiver or a professional, BIANJ has resources available for you. If you’re in need of further assistance, please contact the Helpline at 1-800-669-4323, or info@bianj.org.

Visit the Resource Library


Brain Injury Support Groups

Brain injury support groups allow people with brain injuries and their family members to meet others in similar situations. They gain valuable emotional support, form friendships, obtain information, and discuss a variety of brain injury topics.

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CARES Program

The BIANJ CARES (Care, Assistance, Resources, Education and Support) Program supports individuals and families impacted by brain injury through care management. This program focuses on assessing current needs and developing a plan to help individuals achieve greatest potential and improve quality of life.

More about CARES

You're Invited to Join BIANJ's Advocacy Committee

The Voices Advancing the Brain Injury Community (formerly known as the Council for the Head Injury Community) champions and publicizes the advocacy, rights, and needs of people who have sustained a brain injury, and their families.

Make your voice heard
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New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus Meets, Begins Planning for New Legislative Session

The New Jersey Legislative Disability Caucus met November 30, 2021 to plan for the new legislative session to commence in January 2022.

 

The Caucus serves as a bipartisan forum within the New Jersey Legislature for lawmakers and their staff to consider the impact on the disability community when shaping all public policies in New Jersey through increased awareness and a greater understanding of the complexities of the disabilities service system and issues affecting individuals with disabilities and their families.

 

The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey is a founding supporting organization of the Caucus.

 

You may learn more about the Caucus HERE. Here, you may access recordings of past meetings.

 

People with disabilities, their families, and organizations that serve support and advocate for people with disabilities in New Jersey serve as a resource to the Caucus, providing education and programming as needed. All are encouraged to attend meetings of the Caucus which are to occur on the following dates in 2022:

·        January 25

·        April 26

·        July 26

·        October 25

 

If you would like to receive news about the Caucus, inclusive of meeting details, contact Tom Grady, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs HERE. Write “Legislative Caucus” in the subject line. 

Ask for advocacy coaching HERE.

Traumatic Brain Injury Fund Can Help You

 

Over the years, the Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey has served and supported many people with brain injury and their families in so many ways. One of the reasons why we have been able to do this is through raising awareness through outreach to New Jersey residents. 

 

We have created a video provides an overview of brain injury and how we serve those impacted by it. This 3-minute, 43-second video also provides an overview of how people can benefit from the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Fund. We encourage you to watch the video and you can do so by clicking https://youtu.be/AtNlufgEkrw.

 

The TBI Fund provides New Jersey residents of any age, who have survived a traumatic brain injury, the opportunity to access the brain injury related services and supports they need to live in the community. 

Learn more HERE.
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Legislation that advanced


Legislation listed below has advanced in the New Jersey State Legislature. Please contact Tom Grady, Director of Advocacy and Public Affairs if you would like more information about these bills at tgrady@bianj.org and/or whether you would like to contact your elected representatives to express your views on these bills.


S-1555 / A-2429 (Scutari / Benson / Murphy / Moen): Establishes "Transportation Services Coordination Task Force."

 

S-1641 (Cruz-Perez / Gopal): Authorizes proportional property tax exemption for honorably discharged veterans having a service-connected permanent disability.

 

S-2565 (Greenstein / Testa / Gopal): Increases allowance paid to war veterans with certain service-connected disabilities.

 

S-3424 (Corrado / Diegnan): Requires MVC to allow person to indicate special needs with motor vehicle registration.

 

S-2645 (Kean / Ruiz): Establishes “New Jersey Transit ADA Task Force.”

 

S-3291 (Kean / Greenstein): Creates resume bank for certain persons with disabilities.

 

S-3438 (Diegnan): Updates 2-1-1 telephone system information to include all current modes of public transit and information on access and usage.

 

S-4100 (Bucco / Sweeney): “New Jersey Disability Savings Act.”

 

A-1015 (Downey / Houghtaling / Murphy): Establishes public awareness campaign concerning persons with disabilities and employment.

 

A-2441 (Benson / Chiaravalloti / Vainieri Huttle): Requires DHS to employ Transportation Planning Coordinator to manage and oversee transportation services provided to DHS clients.

 

A-4856 (Lampitt / Benson / Caputo): Requires Internet websites and web services of school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools to be accessible to persons with disabilities.


A-6014 (Benson / Mukherji): Permits person with certain brain injuries to voluntarily make notation on driver’s license, identification card, and in MVC registry; establishes program to train law enforcement officers in interactions with persons with certain brain injuries.


A-6063 (Greenwald): Establishes program in DOLWD to connect persons with disabilities with job training and employment.


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Signed into law

 

The following bills were signed into law by Governor Phil Murphy (pictured above):


S-537 (Codey/McKeon / Verrelli / Vainieri Huttle): Establishes certain minimum and maximum temperatures in rooming and boarding houses, dementia care homes, and certain nursing homes and residential health care facilities.

 

A-4484 (McKnight / Kennedy / Mukherji / Gove / Pou / Vitale): Requires State Long-Term Care Ombudsman to establish long-term care advocacy and educational training program.

 

A-4138 (Vainieri Huttle / Benson / Giblin / Gopal / Codey): Requires Department of Human Services to develop public emergency response plan for licensed providers of services to individuals with developmental disabilities.

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Thank you to elected officials for supporting Alliance-backed legislation


The Brain Injury Alliance of New Jersey supports a broad range of legislation that relates to brain injury. We appreciate those members of the State Legislature who support bills by registering as a cosponsor of or introducing legislation. We would like to publicly thank the following member(s) for sponsoring the following bills:


A-667 (Vainieri Huttle / Murphy / Jasey): Requires DOE to develop registry of high school student-athletes who sustain concussions or other head injuries.

·        Assemblywoman Mila Jasey

 

A-1354 (Benson / Lopez / Giblin): Establishes certain additional examination and special learner’s permit requirements.

·        Assemblywoman Mila Jasey

 

A-2441 (Benson / Chiaravalloti / Vainieri Huttle): Requires DHS to employ Transportation Planning Coordinator to manage and oversee transportation services provided to DHS clients.

·        Assemblywoman Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

 

A-6014 (Benson / Mukherji): Permits person with certain brain injuries to voluntarily make notation on driver’s license, identification card, and in MVC registry; establishes program to train law enforcement officers in interactions with persons with certain brain injuries.

·        Assemblyman Raj Mukherji

 

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