Lampitt and Mosquera Legislation to Support Victims of Violence and Abuse Passes Assembly Committee

            (TRENTON) – In an effort to assist victims of violence and abuse, Assembly Democrats Pamela Lampitt and Gabriela Mosquera sponsor legislation allowing local governments and organizations to partner with other agencies to establish family justice centers offering supportive services.

The bill (A-3156/S-1318) passed the Assembly Women and Children Committee on Monday and will now head to the Speaker for further consideration. Upon its passage, the sponsors released the following statements:

“Each year, 10 million Americans will be physically abused by their partners, over 430,000 will be sexually assaulted and nearly 5 million seniors will experience elder abuse. These numbers are appalling and simply cannot be ignored,” said Lampitt (D-Camden, Burlington). “By empowering communities to establish family justice centers that offer legal aid, social services and more, we can make sure that no one lacks the support they need after experiencing such heartbreakingly prevalent mistreatment.”

“When someone has escaped a dangerous situation where they were the victim of assault, abuse or neglect, they often face an uphill battle in recovering from their ordeal,” said Mosquera (D-Camden, Gloucester). “Being able to access helpful services such as professional healthcare and law enforcement support can make all the difference in their ability to recover. We owe it to survivors to do everything in our power to provide them with the resources they need to establish a better life for themselves.”