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Committee advances bill allowing suicide‑hotline follow‑up calls to minors without parental consent amid push for notification amendment
Summary
The Assembly committee released Assembly Bill 3016, which permits hotline operators to place follow‑up calls to minors 16 and older deemed at high risk for suicide without parental consent. Witnesses and several committee members urged adding a parental‑notification requirement; the bill advanced out of committee.
The Assembly committee released Assembly Bill 3016 on March 17, 2025, after testimony and debate over whether parents should be notified when a suicide‑prevention hotline places follow‑up calls to minors.
Supporters of parental notification pressed the committee during public testimony and in member statements. "When a child is identified as being at high risk for suicide, parents ... deserve to be notified so they can take immediate action to safeguard their child's life," said Sean Hyland of the New Jersey Family Policy Center, which opposed the bill as written. Hyland told the committee he supported follow‑up calls but urged an amendment to require parental notification each time an operator determines a minor to be at high risk.
Committee members voiced conflicting views. Assemblywoman Fantasia said the bill “actively cuts parents out at the most critical time” and voted no. Assemblyman Azaridi likewise said he opposed the measure, framing it as an erosion of parental involvement. Assemblywoman Peter Paul and Assemblywoman Selena Atkins supported advancing the bill; Atkins moved the bill out of committee and Peter Paul, Atkins, Assemblywoman Tucker and Chairwoman Spate recorded yes votes. The motion was seconded by Assemblywoman Fantasia. The bill was released from committee for further consideration by the full Assembly.
Why it matters: the measure would allow operators of the New Jersey suicide hotline to place follow‑up calls to a minor (16 or older) identified by the operator as high risk without obtaining parental consent; opponents argued that parents are often the first line of defense to remove means of self‑harm and provide ongoing support, while supporters said the provision can ensure a minor receives follow‑up help even when the minor will not inform a parent.
Discussion vs. action: testimony from the New Jersey Family Policy Center and several members focused on the parental‑notification question; the committee did not adopt a parental‑notification amendment at this meeting but advanced the bill out of committee.
Votes at committee: Motion to move A3016: moved by Assemblywoman Selena Atkins, seconded by Assemblywoman Fantasia. Vote record (members who stated votes on the record): Selena Atkins (yes), Assemblywoman Peter Paul (yes), Assemblywoman Tucker (yes), Chairwoman Spate (yes), Assemblywoman Fantasia (no), Assemblyman Azaridi (no). Outcome: released from committee.
Background: The bill language cited during testimony permits follow‑up contact without parental authorization when an operator identifies a minor as high risk; that provision was the central point of dispute during testimony and member statements.
Next steps: The bill will proceed to further legislative consideration where sponsors and opponents may propose amendments, including the parental‑notification language urged by witnesses.
