Asm. Greg McGuckin

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies that size limits for lobsters apply only to lobsters caught in New Jersey's marine waters, not to lobsters imported, exported, or sold from other areas. It directly affects commercial and recreational lobster fishermen operating within New Jersey's coastal waters by specifying where the size regulations apply. The key change modifies existing law to ensure size restrictions for lobsters (Homarus americanus) are enforced solely on lobsters taken from state marine waters, as defined by the Department of Environmental Protection. The bill does not change the size limits themselves but clarifies their geographic scope.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's electric public utilities (companies delivering power to homes and businesses) to submit detailed plans to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) within 180 days. The plans must outline how they will strengthen ("harden") their electric distribution substations - facilities that convert high-voltage power to lower voltage for local delivery - to protect against criminal attacks. The BPU must review each plan within 180 days and, if approved, order the utility to complete the hardening work within one year. The bill also mandates the BPU to establish security standards for these substations within 120 days of the law's effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how New Jersey public employees receive cash payments for unused sick leave upon retirement. It caps these payments at $15,000 (the previous limit) and stops payments for sick leave earned after the bill's effective date. It also limits how much unused vacation leave can be carried forward and requires suspension of payments if an employee is indicted for certain crimes, with full forfeiture if convicted of qualifying offenses. These changes directly affect public employees in school districts, government agencies, and other public workplaces covered by New Jersey's sick leave laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a permanent pathway for teachers from other states to obtain New Jersey teaching certifications without additional testing. It establishes two specific routes: one for standard "certificate of eligibility" (CE) and another for "certificate of eligibility with advanced standing" (CEAS). To qualify, teachers must hold a valid out-of-state certificate in a comparable subject or grade level, have taught in that state within the last two years, provide two recommendation letters, pass a background check, and meet New Jersey's residency requirements. The bill explicitly prohibits requiring new teachers to complete performance assessments or basic skills tests as a condition of certification.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a faster court process to remove people occupying property without legal right, specifically targeting occupants who never paid rent, had no lease, and entered without the owner's consent. Property owners must certify in court that the occupant was never a tenant, never paid rent, and had no written permission to stay. If verified, courts must schedule a hearing within 3 business days and issue a writ of possession within 5 days, requiring immediate removal by court officers. Property owners who win such cases also receive triple damages for unlawful occupancy, while forging documents to manipulate the process is a criminal offense punishable by up to 5 years in prison. The bill directly affects property owners seeking to reclaim vacant properties and occupants facing removal under these strict criteria.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A 1848) requires state licensing authorities to collect new child support certification information from applicants for professional, occupational, or driver's licenses. Applicants must certify on a separate form - under penalty of perjury - whether they have child support arrears exceeding six months' payments, owe unpaid health care coverage, failed to respond to a subpoena, or face a child support warrant. Licenses cannot be issued, renewed, or reinstated if applicants fail to meet these requirements. The bill clarifies existing procedures by mandating written notice of these requirements and the legal basis for license suspension related to child support obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes mandatory penalties for burglary, robbery, or theft committed during a state of emergency declared under New Jersey's Disaster Control Act. It requires courts to impose a minimum six-month prison term or six months of community service (in addition to standard penalties) for these specific crimes when they occur during emergencies like natural disasters or war threats. The law applies to individuals who commit these acts while an emergency is ongoing, as defined by the Governor's emergency orders. It directly affects people charged with burglary, robbery, or theft during declared emergencies, with penalties enforced through municipal courts.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Education (DOE) to provide any school district with a request the specific data, software algorithms, and detailed calculations used to determine state school aid. It mandates disclosure of all data for every district - including how adequacy budgets, equalization aid, and local shares are calculated, adjusted when local shares exceed budgets, and the reconciliation showing total local share plus equalization aid equals statewide adequacy budgets. The DOE must share this information regardless of whether the software is considered proprietary. This transparency measure aims to help school districts verify that state aid formulas are applied correctly under existing law.

Maddy summaryThis bill permits licensed organizations in New Jersey (such as charities, churches, and veterans groups) to conduct "Queen of Hearts" raffle games under existing raffle regulations. The raffle uses a board with 54 shuffled cards; participants select cards weekly until someone finds the Queen of Hearts. If they don't find it, they win a cash prize immediately; if they do, they receive 50% of the prize with the rest going to the organizer. The Legalized Games of Chance Control Commission must establish rules for these games, including prize schedules.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts volunteer first responders (like firefighters and EMTs who serve without pay) from coverage under New Jersey's unemployment compensation law. It also excludes payments they receive for volunteer emergency services from their taxable gross income. The legislation amends New Jersey Statutes §43:21-19 (defining unemployment benefits terms) and adds provisions to clarify these exemptions. These changes directly affect volunteer emergency service workers by removing them from unemployment benefit calculations and making their service payments non-taxable.