State Sen. Britnee Timberlake
EAST ORANGE — State Sen. Britnee N. Timberlake, who represents the 34th Legislative District, has announced she is expecting her fourth child with her husband in March 2026.
In a letter addressed to Senate President Nicholas Scutari, Assembly Speaker Craig Coughlin, and Gov. Phil Murphy, Timberlake used the personal milestone to spotlight urgent legislative priorities that support maternal health, birthing equity, and family well-being across the Garden State.
“Pregnancy is especially meaningful for us because I have Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome (PCOS)—the leading cause of infertility—and was told I might never conceive,” Timberlake wrote. “Yet, here we are, gratefully expecting our fourth together.”
The 34th Legislative District includes the municipalities of Belleville, Bloomfield, East Orange, Glen Ridge, Nutley and Orange.
As the only Black woman in the New Jersey Legislature to give birth several times while serving, Timberlake emphasized the importance of lived experience in shaping policy. She called on legislative leaders to prioritize a suite of bills she has championed—many of which were inspired by her own birthing journeys and the systemic inequities she has witnessed firsthand.
Black women face maternal mortality rates up to four times higher than other groups, with 50 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2023 alone. Black infants also die at more than twice the national average, often due to preventable complications, according to a press release from Timberlake’s office.
The U.S. remains one of only eight countries where maternal mortality has increased since 2000, according to the World Health Organization. These disparities—driven by systemic inequities and limited access to care—underscore the urgency of passing legislation that expands birthing options, midwifery access, and family health support, as championed by Senator Timberlake.
Among the bills she urged to be posted, heard, and passed before the end of the 2024–2025 session are:
• S4487/A5527 – Establishes the Midwifery Licensing Act
• S1087/A5703 – Mandates disclosure of birthing options to pregnant women
• S1097/A5609 – Requires insurance coverage for home births
• S1099/A3008 – Ensures access to lactation counselors in healthcare facilities
• S1108/A3507 – Requires hospitals to maintain Baby-Friendly and Mother-Friendly designations and allow water births
• S2919/A3544 – Expands breastfeeding accommodations in the workplace beyond one year
• S4785 – Allocates $28 million to unfreeze the Child Care Assistance Program subsidy
• S4781 – Restores $125 million to the Affordable Housing Trust Fund
• S4856 – Directs $30 million to New Jersey’s six major food banks in response to halted SNAP benefits
Timberlake was elected to the Senate in November of 2023. She previously served in the Assembly, representing the 34th District from 2018-2024. A resident of East Orange, the senator served as the President of the Essex County Board of Freeholders from 2014-2018.
She currently works as the Chief Community Development Officer at North Jersey Federal Credit Union. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science and a master of public administration degree from Seton Hall University. Her husband, Dimitri Charles, is a Newark firefighter and small business owner. They have three sons.
“Each pregnancy has only deepened my commitment to equity in birthing spaces,” Timberlake said. “The most meaningful way to celebrate this birth is to ensure that the maternal health and family-related bills I’ve written are signed into law.”
Timberlake also reaffirmed her commitment to public service, stating unequivocally that she will remain in the Senate, continuing to advocate for justice, equity, and opportunity with her growing family by her side.
“Thanks to our village, I’ll be right here—for as long as the good Lord and the voters of District 34 see fit,” she wrote. “And yes, it’s a boy—again.”
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