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Read. Follow. Verify.New Jersey establishes 'Monica's Law' requiring domestic violence risk assessments and parenting questionnaires
Last action · January 13, 2026: Introduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary CommitteeSponsors: Flynn, Victoria A. and 1 other
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What This Bill Would Do
This bill establishes 'Monica's Law,' requiring the Administrative Office of the Courts to create a parenting time questionnaire and risk assessment guide for child custody cases involving domestic violence, and directing the Attorney General to develop a validated risk assessment instrument for law enforcement.
Parents involved in custody disputes with a history of domestic violence must complete safety questionnaires, and judges must consult risk guides before deciding parenting time arrangements.
- Monica Paul, the namesake of the bill, was a 31-year-old victim who was shot to death in June 2008 in the presence of her two young children at the YMCA Family Center in Montclair. context
- This bill embodies recommendations 6 and 20 of the Report of the Supreme Court Ad Hoc Committee on Domestic Violence issued in June 2016. context
Who It Would Affect
Groups the bill's text would affect if enacted, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Domestic violence victims
Victims are given opportunities to provide safety information through questionnaires and risk assessments, and have the right to decline participation if safety is compromised.
Parents in custody proceedings
Parents asserting safety concerns must complete parenting time questionnaires, and parenting time rights may be temporarily suspended or restricted based on risk evaluations.
Law enforcement officers
Officers are required to use a standardized, validated risk assessment instrument to evaluate future violence risks when responding to domestic violence calls.
Judges and court personnel
Judges must consult new evidence-based risk guides, state reasons for denials of restrictions on the record, and manage mandatory parenting time questionnaires.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is 'Monica's Law' designed to do?
Do I have to complete the parenting time questionnaire if I fear for my safety?
Who has access to the results of the domestic violence risk assessments?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Currently in committee. The next step in the legislative lifecycle is Floor Vote.
Procedural history
1 action- Jan 13, 2026HouseIntroducedIntroduced, Referred to Assembly Judiciary Committee
Version history
Only one version on file - nothing to compare yet. As later stages (committee substitute, engrossed, enrolled) are captured, the redline appears here.
View official text →Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Standardization of Domestic Violence Risk Evaluation
The bill shifts New Jersey from discretionary evaluations toward mandatory, evidence-based risk assessments across both law enforcement and family court proceedings.
Connected Entities
Sources
njleg.state.nj.us
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy40Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz45Current news / social attention level
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