30:6D-32.1 Findings, declarations relative to community care residential providers.

1. The Legislature finds and declares that:

a. Community care residential providers for adults with developmental disabilities in the State of New Jersey, as defined by N.J.A.C.10:44B-1.3, provide an essential service by providing care and training to adults with developmental disabilities;

b. The State, through the Department of Human Services, is vested with the regulatory authority, including but not limited to the establishment of reimbursement rates, and the administrative oversight responsibility for the licensing of facilities and operation of community care residential provider homes;

c. Pursuant to its statutory and regulatory authority, the Department of Human Services is authorized to contract with a qualified third party agency or entity to provide oversight with respect to various administrative functions, including but not limited to the processing of board payments and/or cost-of-care payments to community care residential providers;

d. To ensure quality standards of care, it is in the public interest for the State to maintain community care residential provider homes for adults with developmental disabilities and to encourage the recruitment and retention of community care residential providers that are delivering these vital services; and

e. A majority of community care residential providers have authorized the Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO (CWA) to be their exclusive representative through individually-signed authorizations and the New Jersey State Board of Mediation has certified CWA to represent community care residential providers.

L.2009, c.270, s.1.