S3562 allows the New Jersey Department of Health to designate a nonprofit organization as the Public Health Institute (PHI). This institute—accredited by the National Network of Public Health Institutes—will coordinate public-health efforts across state, local, and private sectors; help implement programs tackling racial health disparities; support administrative and fiscal needs; and provide services such as purchasing therapeutics or supplies. It operates via an agreement with the Department, and is funded through a dedicated, non-lapsing fund that accepts appropriations, donations, and grants.

The New Jersey State Senate passed S3562 on March 24, 2025 by a vote of 24 to 15. We have assigned pluses to the nays because healthcare is not a legitimate function granted of government. The industry is already heavily (and unconstitutionally) subsidized by the federal government, and creating a state-sanctioned “Public Health Institute” further expands bureaucracy, funnels taxpayer dollars into unelected entities, and centralizes authority in ways more akin to fascist corporatism than free enterprise. By empowering government to select favored nonprofits and dictate health initiatives, the legislation undermines the free market and invites cronyism. Moreover, its focus on race-based programs and “equity” rejects the principle that all men are created equal, dividing citizens into categories instead of safeguarding individual rights.