Establishes Hope Card Program to provide victims of domestic violence with restraining order quick…

Full Bill Text

ASSEMBLY, No. 5040 STATE OF NEW JERSEY 222nd LEGISLATURE INTRODUCED MAY 11, 2026 Sponsored by: Assemblywoman KATIE BRENNAN District 32 (Hudson) SYNOPSIS Establishes Hope Card Program to provide victims of domestic violence with restraining order quick reference wallet card; makes appropriation. CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT As introduced. An Act concerning domestic violence central registry information, and amending and supplementing P.L.1999, c.421. Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey: 1. Section 1 of P.L.1999, c.421 (C.2C:25-34) is amended to read as follows: 1. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall establish and maintain a central registry of all persons who have had domestic violence restraining orders entered against them, all persons who have been charged with a crime or offense involving domestic violence, and all persons who have been charged with a violation of a court order involving domestic violence. All records made pursuant to this section shall be kept confidential and shall be released only to: a. A public agency authorized to investigate a report of domestic violence; b. A police or other law enforcement agency investigating a report of domestic violence, or conducting a background investigation involving a person's application for a firearm permit or employment as a police or law enforcement officer or for any other purpose authorized by law or the Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey; c. A court, for the purpose of issuing a Hope Card pursuant to the Hope Card Program established by section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), or upon its finding that access to such records may be necessary for determination of an issue before the court; d. A surrogate, in that person's official capacity as deputy clerk of the Superior Court, in order to prepare documents that may be necessary for a court to determine an issue in an adoption proceeding; [ or ] e. The Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families when the division is conducting a background investigation involving: (1) an allegation of child abuse or neglect, to include any adult member of the same household as the individual who is the subject of the abuse or neglect allegation; or (2) an out-of-home placement for a child being placed by the Division of Child Protection and Permanency, to include any adult member of the prospective placement household ; or f. A person protected by a domestic violence restraining order, pursuant to the Hope Card Program established by section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill) . [ Any ] Except as provided by subsection d. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), any individual, agency, surrogate, or court which receives from the Administrative Office of the Courts the records referred to in this section shall keep the records and reports, or parts thereof, confidential and shall not disseminate or disclose such records and reports, or parts thereof; provided that nothing in this section shall prohibit a receiving individual, agency, surrogate or court from disclosing records and reports, or parts thereof, in a manner consistent with and in furtherance of the purpose for which the records and reports or parts thereof were received. [ Any ] Except as provided by subsection d. of section 2 of P.L. , c. (C. ) (pending before the Legislature as this bill), any individual who disseminates or discloses a record or report, or parts thereof, of the central registry, for a purpose other than investigating a report of domestic violence, conducting a background investigation involving a person's application for a firearm permit or employment as a police or law enforcement officer, making a determination of an issue before the court, conducting a background investigation as specified in subsection e. of this section, or for any other purpose other than that which is authorized by law or the Supreme Court of the State of New Jersey, shall be guilty of a crime of the fourth degree. (cf: P.L.2012, c.16, s.9) 2. (New section) a. (1) The Administrative Office of the Courts shall develop and implement the Hope Card Program in all Superior Courts of this State. The program shall provide for the issuance of a Hope Card at no cost to any person protected by a final domestic violence restraining order. The Hope Card shall be issued, upon request, as soon as practicable following entry of a final restraining order, which shall not exceed 10 business days. A parent or guardian with custody of a minor child protected by a final restraining order shall be entitled to receive a Hope Card for each protected child. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall develop and maintain methods to request a Hope Card through its website and through printed forms available in all Superior Courts. (2) The Hope Card shall not replace or supersede a final domestic violence restraining order, and any person investigating a report of domestic violence committed against a person who has been issued a Hope Card pursuant to this section shall be required to verify the information contained on the Hope Card with the domestic violence central registry pursuant to section 1 of P.L.1999, c.421 (C.2C:25-34). A Hope Card shall remain the property of the State. (3) A Hope Card issued pursuant to the program shall be a laminated, durable, plastic, wallet-sized card containing, to the extent possible, essential information about the final restraining order, such as the court of issuance, date of issuance, and case number; the identifying information and characteristics of the defendant; the terms of the restraining order, including any firearms restrictions; and the names of all persons protected by the restraining order. The Administrative Office of the Courts shall consult with the Attorney General, the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, and other knowledgeable persons or organizations as directed by the Administrative Director of the Courts, concerning the design of the Hope Card, which may be modified from time to time. b. In addition to any other violation of law which may be charged, theft, defacement, alteration, or falsification of a Hope Card by the defendant subject to the restraining order shall be a contempt of court in the fourth degree pursuant to paragraph (1) of subsection b. of section 34 of P.L.1981, c.290 (C.2C:29-9). c. Upon the modification of the terms of a final restraining order, a person who has been issued a Hope Card may request and updated Hope Card pursuant to subsection a. of this section. Upon the dissolution of a final restraining order, a Hope Card issued pursuant to the restraining order shall be returned to the issuing court within 10 business days. d. Notwithstanding the provisions of section 1 of P.L.1999, c.421 (C.2C:25-34) concerning the receipt, use, dissemination, and disclosure of domestic violence central registry information, a person who has been issued a Hope Card may disclose, and a person who is presented with a Hope Card may use, the information contained on the card for any lawful purpose in furtherance of receiving or providing services for victims of domestic violence or for the enforcement of the restraining order. However, any person who receives information contained on a Hope Card shall take all reasonable measures to preserve confidentiality. e. In addition to, and as part of, the domestic violence training required pursuant to section 4 of P.L.1991, c.261 (C.2C:25-20), the Attorney General and the Administrative Director of the Courts shall ensure that all law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and court personnel required to receive domestic violence training also receive appropriate training on the implementation of the Program. The Supreme Court of New Jersey may adopt any Rules of Court necessary to implement and operate the Program. f. There is appropriated annually from the General Fund to the Judiciary such funds as shall be necessary for the implementation of this section, as certified by the Administrative Director of the Courts, and subject to the approval of the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting in the Department of the Treasury. 3. This act shall take effect on the first day of the 13th month next following enactment, except that the Attorney General and the Administrative Director of the Courts may take such anticipatory action as may be necessary for the timely implementation of this act. STATEMENT This bill establishes the Hope Card Program in New Jersey. Under the bill, a victim of domestic violence who obtains a final restraining order may request a Hope Card from the court at no cost. The Hope Card is a laminated, durable, plastic, wallet-sized card containing essential information about the restraining order, such as the court of issuance, date of issuance, and case number; the identifying information and characteristics of the defendant; the terms of the restraining order, including any firearms restrictions; and the names of all persons protected by the restraining order. The Hope Card is intended to provide persons protected by a final restraining order with a convenient and portable means of carrying their restraining order information, which may be quickly and easily presented to law enforcement, if necessary. Under the bill, a law enforcement officer presented with a Hope Card shall verify the information with the State's domestic violence central registry as part of any domestic violence investigation. The bill provides that a person who is issued a Hope Card is exempt from the confidentiality restrictions that would otherwise apply to information from the domestic violence central registry. However, the bill requires any person who receives information contained on a Hope Card to take all reasonable measures to preserve confidentiality. The bill provides that the Administrative Office of the Courts will develop both an online and a paper-based method to request a Hope Card. The bill also provides that the Administrative Office of the Courts will consult with the Attorney General, the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police, and other knowledgeable persons or organizations concerning the design of the card. The bill further requires the Attorney General and the Administrative Director of the Courts to provide training to law enforcement officers, prosecutors, judges, and court personnel on the implementation of the program. The bill additionally provides that theft, defacement, or alteration of a Hope Card by the defendant subject to the restraining order is deemed a contempt of court in the fourth degree. A crime of the fourth degree is punishable by a term of imprisonment of up to 18 months, a fine of up to $10,000, or both. Finally, the bill provides for an annual appropriation to the Judiciary for the implementation of the program. According to information provided by the Virginia Supreme Court, the initial cost of the Virginia Hope Card Program was approximately $307,000. The Hope Card Program under this bill is modeled on similar programs now in effect in the states of Florida, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Montana, New York, Oregon, Virginia, and Washington.