Establishes "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program"; incentivizes certain businesses to provide support to individuals who are victims of domestic violence.
Summary
This bill establishes the “Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program” within the Division on Women in the Department of Children and Families. The program is designed to encourage New Jersey businesses to provide goods and services to recent victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and attempted forms of those offenses, as well as certain family members, by offering state tax credits in return for participation. Eligible businesses would enter into program agreements with the division and commit to supplying support consistent with regional safety-net plans developed by the division in consultation with the Advisory Council on Domestic Violence.
The bill requires the division to create at least three support regions across the state and adopt a domestic violence safety net plan for each region. Those plans must assess existing public and nonprofit resources and identify priority needs, including household essentials, clothing, technology security devices and services, communications devices and services, housing, emergency accommodations, and other region-specific supports such as transportation. The division would then award tax credits to businesses whose proposed services best align with those regional priorities, with annual reporting and program evaluation requirements built into the structure.
Impact
The bill would add a new state-administered tax credit program and create a new framework for coordinating private-sector assistance to domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking survivors. It would affect the Corporation Business Tax and the New Jersey Gross Income Tax by allowing eligible businesses to claim credits equal to the value of approved goods or services provided under program agreements, subject to limits on the amount of credit that can be used in a year and carryforward rules. It also requires the Division on Women and the Division of Taxation to develop rules, scoring formulas, reporting procedures, and confidentiality protections for tax and compliance information.
Sentiment
The bill’s overall tone is supportive of expanding services for survivors and appears aimed at supplementing, rather than replacing, existing public and nonprofit support systems. Because there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided material, there is no documented legislative debate or recorded partisan split to indicate opposition or support beyond the bill’s stated purpose. The structure of the bill suggests a policy preference for targeted, incentive-based assistance and regional planning rather than a direct grant program.
Contention
The main potential points of contention are fiscal and administrative. The bill authorizes up to $25 million in annual tax credits, with category-specific caps, which could raise concerns about revenue loss and whether the program is the best use of tax expenditures. Another possible issue is implementation complexity: the division must create regional plans, score applications, monitor compliance, audit businesses, and recapture credits if agreements are not met. There may also be questions about how eligibility is determined for survivors, how businesses verify participation while preserving confidentiality, and whether the program will distribute benefits equitably across regions and service categories.
Same As
Establishes "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program"; incentivizes certain businesses to provide support to individuals who are victims of domestic violence.
Carry Over
Establishes "Support for Victims of Domestic Violence Program"; incentivizes certain businesses to provide support to individuals who are victims of domestic violence.