NJ A498

Amends New Jersey child custody law (R.S.9:2-4) to add two new factors courts must consider when making custody determinations

Requires courts to consider any history of abuse, abandonment, or neglect as defined under state law when awarding custody

Mandates courts evaluate evidence that either parent has engaged in a pattern of abusive, threatening, intimidating, or controlling behavior, even if the pattern occurred over a short period of time

Maintains all existing custody factors including domestic violence history, parental fitness, child's preference, stability of home environment, and geographic proximity of parents' homes

Takes effect immediately upon enactment