S 542 New Jersey Senate · 2026-2027 Regular Session

Establishes central registry for background checks of youth serving organization employees and volunteers.

This bill creates a state-run central registry to manage background checks for employees and volunteers in non-school youth organizations (like sports teams, after-school programs, and youth clubs). Organizations must register with the state and pay a fee to access the registry, which requires all staff and volunteers to undergo criminal background checks every two years. Individuals convicted of specific crimes - such as violence against children, certain drug offenses, or crimes against family members - would be disqualified from serving in these roles. The registry allows organizations to check a person's status securely and ensures disqualifying records are updated and shared across participating groups.
Bill status in committee 1 of 4 stages cleared
Introduction
Jan 2026
Committee Review
Floor Vote
Governor
Introduced Jan 13, 2026 Last action Jan 13, 2026
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Jan 13, 2026
Introduced
Introduced in the Senate, Referred to Senate Health, Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee
upper
2 primary · 0 co-sponsors

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