52:27D-43.17c Membership of board, terms, compensation.

3. a. The board shall consist of 20 members as follows:

(1) the Commissioners of Community Affairs, Human Services, Children and Families, and Health, the Attorney General, the Public Defender, the Superintendent of the State Police, the Director of the Division of Child Protection and Permanency in the Department of Children and Families, the Chief State Medical Examiner, and the chairperson of the Child Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board, or their designees, who shall serve ex officio;

(2) eight public members appointed by the Governor who shall include a representative of the County Prosecutors Association of New Jersey with expertise in prosecuting domestic violence cases, a representative of the New Jersey Coalition for Battered Women, a representative of a program for battered women that provides intervention services to perpetrators of acts of domestic violence, a representative of the law enforcement community with expertise in the area of domestic violence, a psychologist with expertise in the area of domestic violence or other related fields, a licensed social worker with expertise in the area of domestic violence, a licensed health care professional knowledgeable in the screening and identification of domestic violence cases and a county probation officer; and

(3) two retired judges appointed by the Administrative Director of the Administrative Office of the Courts, one with expertise in family law and one with expertise in municipal law as it relates to domestic violence.

b. The public members of the board shall serve for three-year terms, except that of the public members first appointed, four shall serve for a period of one year, three shall serve for a period of two years and two shall serve for a period of three years. The members shall serve without compensation, but shall be eligible for reimbursement for necessary and reasonable expenses incurred in the performance of their official duties and within the limits of funds appropriated for this purpose. Vacancies in the membership of the board shall be filled in the same manner as the original appointments were made.

c. The board shall select a chairperson from among its members who shall be responsible for the coordination of all activities of the board.

d. The board is entitled to call to its assistance and avail itself of the services of employees of any State, county, or municipal department, board, bureau, commission, or agency as it may require and as may be available for the purposes of reviewing a case pursuant to the provisions of P.L.2003, c.225 (C.52:27D-43.17a et seq.).

e. The board may seek the advice of experts, such as persons specializing in the fields of psychiatric and forensic medicine, nursing, psychology, social work, education, law enforcement, family law, academia, military affairs, or other related fields, if the facts of a case warrant additional expertise.

L.2003, c.225, s.3; amended 2011, c.129, s.1; 2012, c.16, s.150; 2018, c.62, s.51.