Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Assembly committee advances bill targeting crisis pregnancy-center advertising amid constitutional objections
Summary
The Assembly Committee on Community Development and Women's Affairs voted to release A861 with committee amendments after a lengthy hearing in which faith-based pregnancy centers, legal advocates and legislators debated whether the measure unlawfully targets nonprofit speech and exceeds the Consumer Fraud Act’s traditional scope.
The New Jersey Assembly Committee on Community development and Women's Affairs voted to release Assembly Bill 861 with committee amendments after hours of testimony from pregnancy resource centers, legal advocates and state lawmakers.
The bill, as read into the record by committee staff, would amend the New Jersey Consumer Fraud Act to add penalties and investigatory requirements for certain deceptive advertising by nonprofit crisis pregnancy centers. Supporters of the centers said the measure singles out faith-based nonprofits and infringes on free speech and religious exercise; proponents of the bill said it aims to protect people seeking pregnancy-related care from misleading statements.
The measure drew sustained opposition from center operators and allied organizations. Sean Hyland of the New Jersey Family Policy Center told the committee, “We do urge you to vote no on assembly bill 861,” calling the…
Already have an account? Log in
Subscribe to keep reading
Unlock the rest of this article — and every article on Citizen Portal.
- Unlimited articles
- AI-powered breakdowns of topics, speakers, decisions, and budgets
- Instant alerts when your location has a new meeting
- Follow topics and more locations
- 1,000 AI Insights / month, plus AI Chat
