Rep. Antwan McClellan

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Military Family Relief Fund, allowing taxpayers to voluntarily contribute to it through their state income tax return. The fund would provide grants up to $2,500 to cover essential expenses like food, housing, and medical costs for eligible military members, veterans, and their families who reside in New Jersey and demonstrate financial hardship. To qualify, applicants must have lived in New Jersey for at least 12 consecutive months, provide proof of hardship, and cannot receive more than one grant per year. The Department of Military and Veterans Affairs would administer the program, with funds annually appropriated from the relief fund for these grants.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Medical Examiners to create a certification process for non-physicians (like licensed estheticians or technicians) to legally perform laser tattoo removal. It mandates that non-physicians must meet specific qualifications, pass approved testing, and complete continuing education to obtain certification. Certification is required before offering these services and must be renewed every two years. The law directly affects non-physician service providers seeking to enter the tattoo removal field, establishing standardized safety and competency requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands requirements for public awareness signage about human trafficking. It adds 10 new locations where businesses and facilities must display the Commission on Human Trafficking's sign, including gas stations, staffing agencies, law enforcement offices, nail salons, and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices. The sign must be 8.5x11 inches, in 16-point font, and bilingual (English/Spanish), containing the national trafficking hotline number. Businesses failing to display or replace defaced signs face $300 fines for first offenses and $1,000 for subsequent violations. The bill directly affects the listed establishments by mandating visible signage to aid trafficking victims.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 32) creates a temporary, bipartisan committee to study New Jersey's historical claims to Staten Island. The 12-member committee - six appointed by the Assembly Speaker and six by the Minority Leader - will investigate colonial land grants, the 1834 boundary compact, and relevant legal history to explore potential annexation pathways. It will examine lawful options for New Jersey to pursue annexation, but only with consent from Staten Island residents, New York State, and the U.S. Congress. The committee will produce a final report and expire upon completion of its work. This is purely an investigative measure with no immediate policy impact.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A-1434) mandates that New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD) reopen all state unemployment offices by March 1, 2022, and keep them open during the public health emergency. It directly affects the DOLWD commissioner and senior leadership, who face salary cuts (5% every two weeks for the first month, then 10% monthly) if offices remain closed past the deadline. Funds from these salary reductions will go into a new "Unemployed Workers Compensation Fund." The bill requires a report on compliance within 90 days and expires once all offices reopen.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurers, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), and the State Employees Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) to cover specific mammogram screenings. It mandates one baseline mammogram for women aged 35 and annual screenings for women 35 and older, while also requiring coverage for women under 35 with breast cancer risk factors (like family history) as determined by their provider. Additional tests like ultrasounds or MRIs are covered if needed due to dense breast tissue, abnormal results, or other risk factors. The law applies to all health insurance plans in New Jersey, ensuring these screenings are covered without additional out-of-pocket costs for eligible individuals.

Maddy summaryThis bill standardizes pension benefits for New Jersey teachers by moving all current non-retired members of the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) into a single benefit tier (previously called "Tier 1"), granting them the same retirement benefits as members who joined before July 1, 2007. It requires public employers to enroll teachers earning above minimum salary but not meeting work-hour requirements into TAPF within 60 days of enactment. Teachers in the separate Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) can automatically transfer their service credit to TAPF for retirement eligibility (but not pension amount calculations), with contributions staying in DCRP; they may opt out within six months of notification. The bill also allows TAPF members with long-term disability insurance to apply for disability retirement within two years of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to create a program providing one-time grants of up to $10,000 to qualified veterans purchasing franchises in the state. It directly affects veterans who are approved by the EDA and operating or planning to operate a franchise at a New Jersey location. Key provisions include the EDA establishing application procedures, prioritizing veterans who apply within six months of the bill's effective date, and requiring grantees to report how they used the funds within one year. The program aims to support veteran entrepreneurs by reducing startup costs for franchise ownership.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey joint resolution recognizes the privately awarded Orange Heart Medal, which honors Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange during military service. It does not create new benefits or programs but formally acknowledges these veterans' service and health impacts from Agent Orange exposure. The resolution follows Tennessee's 2019 legislation and aligns with federal efforts to recognize this honor, as the Orange Heart Medal Project has distributed approximately 4,000 medals to veterans or surviving spouses since 2018.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to pay just compensation to business owners who were forced to partially or fully close due to a public health emergency order (like during the pandemic). It applies to businesses that prove their income loss or permanent closure was directly caused by the emergency order, not by other factors. Business owners must file a claim within one year of the emergency order ending and prove both the cause of the loss and the compensation amount. The law covers emergencies starting January 1, 2020, and applies to closures ordered under the state's Emergency Health Powers Act.