Houghtaling Bill Providing Broad Assistance to Gold Star Families Signed into Law

(TRENTON) – Legislation sponsored by Assemblyman Eric Houghtaling to provide an array of online assistance for Gold Star families was signed into law on Monday.

The term "Gold Star" describes a family member who has lost a loved one in military service. A Gold Star Family member is defined to mean a spouse, domestic partner, partner in a civil union, parent, brother, sister, child, legal guardian, or other legal custodian.

The new law (S-2857/A-4403), which is part of a larger four-bill package, would require the Adjutant General to create a public webpage with information for Gold Star families. The webpage must include information about state benefits, state and county liaisons, a list of service members killed in action from New Jersey, links to other Gold Star family organizations, and any other information deemed beneficial to Gold Star families.

“A webpage for Gold Star families would be a comprehensive source of information so that a Gold Star family member may be informed of the available benefits and resources without having to gather such information in a piecemeal fashion,” said Houghtaling (D-Monmouth).