The bill appeared doomed in January, when prime sponsor state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), requested it be pulled from consideration.
TRENTON -- Protections for people with developmental disabilities who live in supervised housing would be strengthened under a bill a state Senate committee approved Monday, despite concerns that it may cost too much money to implement.
By a vote of 8-0 with one abstention, the Senate Health Human Services and Senior Citizens Committee revived the Stephen Komninos' Law, which appeared doomed in January after prime sponsor state Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D-Gloucester), requested it be pulled from consideration.
The state Assembly made dramatic changes that would have required the state make six visits a year to all 2,300 group homes and supervised apartments. Group home operators cried foul, and the Christie administration estimated the bill would cost $250 million to implement.
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The latest bill, amended on the fly during the 90-minute hearing, scaled back the annual visits to two unannounced trips, at the request of Sen. Richard Codey (D-Essex).
The bill (S516) also underwent other changes hammered over months of private negotiations led by Sen. Jennifer Beck (R-Monmouth). They would require:
- All group home employees take a drug test before they are hired and submit to random testing, at the state's expense;
- Group home staff to notify parents or guardians that their loved one suffered an injury within an hour of the incident;
- The state to create a new category criminal offenses of "endangering the welfare of of an individual with a developmental disability;"
- The Department of Human Services to meet twice a year with the families or guardians of disabled people living in group homes and state-run developmental centers or who are enrolled in daily vocational and recreational programs;
- The department to release the records involving a disabled person's injury or incident of abuse and neglect with the family or guardian, and in certain instances allow relatives to be present during interviews with their loved ones.
The estimated price tag to implement the law is $35 million, the sponsors said.
"This law will strengthen reporting requirements, upgrade penalties, and improve the way investigations are conducted, so that no other family ever has to endure such a tragedy," Beck said.
The Arc of New Jersey and the New Jersey Association of Community Providers asked the committee to vote no, arguing the state would need to take money from services in order to hire enough inspectors and case managers to make the required visits.
Tom Baffuto, executive director of the Arc, said his organization is urging the state to add $36 million in the upcoming budget to pay pay better wages for group home workers, whose starting salary is only $10.50 an hour.
"This bill won't improve our system or reduce the occurrence of abuse and neglect," but having "a a qualified workforce would," Baffuto said.
The bill is named for and inspired by Stephen Komninos, a 22-year-old man with developmental disabilities who choked to death a decade ago while under the supervision of Bancroft, a state-licensed nonprofit agency.
Thomas Komninos of Upper Saddle River urged lawmakers to finally take action, noting his son died 10 years ago and "nothing has changed in the system to prevent the failures that lead to his death."
"This may not be the perfect bill, but i hope you see enough positives to pass it and...hold up the whole bill. the bill is sorely needed," he said.
The Komninos family and others who have are fighting for the bill's passage have accused group home operators of not properly training and compensating their employees, and the the state of not holding group home operators accountable when one of their loved ones is hurt.
On Wednesday, Tom Komninos said he's grateful that Sweeney is on board again and played a key role in shaping the amendments, so both houses could perhaps approve the new version by late June.
"The amendments recommended by Senator Sweeney make the bill stronger than the bill that came out of the Assembly" last year, he said.
Susan K. Livio may be reached at slivio@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @SusanKLivio. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.