Asm. Greg McGuckin

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Division of Taxation to include property sales in age-restricted developments (such as senior living communities) handled by third parties - like guardians, trustees, or executors - in the state's table of equalized valuations. Currently, these sales are excluded because they are not considered typical market transactions, but the bill states this exclusion unfairly burdens residents of such communities. By including these sales, the bill aims to create more accurate property tax assessments based on actual transaction data. This change directly affects residents of age-restricted communities by potentially adjusting their tax valuations to better reflect market conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow New Jersey to prosecute certain crimes committed outside the state when the defendant had a supervisory or disciplinary relationship with the victim that was established in New Jersey. It specifically targets cases like school employees who engage in misconduct with students during out-of-state trips, which a 2015 Supreme Court case (State v. Sumulikoski) prevented from being prosecuted. The bill amends two key statutes (N.J.S.2C:14-2 and N.J.S.2C:24-4) to establish that "the assumption of supervisory or disciplinary power" or "the assumption of responsibility for the care of a child" in New Jersey constitutes a material element of the offense for jurisdictional purposes. This change would enable New Jersey prosecutors to pursue cases where the defendant's relationship with the victim was established within the state, even if the misconduct occurred elsewhere.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires water purveyors (those operating public community water systems) to submit quarterly and annual reports to the municipalities they serve about water supply allocations and quality. The reports must include permit details, water sources, any exceedances of permitted usage, and water quality test results for contaminants like chemicals and radionuclides. If water purveyors exceed their permitted allocation, they must publish a notice in a local newspaper explaining conservation measures and alternatives for additional water rights. Violations of these reporting requirements can result in fines of up to $100,000 for repeated offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill limits the Governor's authority to declare states of emergency or public health emergencies in New Jersey. It requires state of emergency declarations to automatically end after 60 days unless the Legislature approves an extension with a majority vote (and future extensions require a similar majority). Public health emergency declarations are capped at 60 days total (initial 30 days plus one 30-day renewal by the Governor). The bill also mandates the Governor notify the Legislature 7 business days before seeking an extension, and gives the Legislature the power to terminate any emergency declaration with a two-thirds vote in both chambers. Existing emergency declarations related to the pandemic or other ongoing emergencies will automatically terminate on the bill's effective date unless the Legislature immediately authorizes an extension.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's tax code to provide a $6,000 gross income tax deduction for surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. It directly affects spouses who were married to a veteran at the time of their death, were living together continuously (with limited exceptions), and have not remarried or cohabited with another person in a spousal relationship. The deduction applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment and matches the existing $6,000 deduction available to veterans themselves. Eligibility requires the veteran to have died while on active duty, been honorably discharged, or been released under honorable circumstances from military service. The deduction remains available if the spouse remarries after age 57, or if the remarriage was void, annulled, or obtained without fraud.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Red Tape Review Commission to evaluate state regulations and executive orders for their economic impact on businesses, workers, and local governments. The commission, composed of eight members including the Lieutenant Governor (as chair), department heads, and legislative leaders, will review all proposed or adopted rules and executive orders to determine if their costs outweigh benefits. It must solicit public input, require state agencies to provide data, and issue annual recommendations to the Governor for repealing, rescinding, or amending burdensome rules. The commission’s findings are advisory only and cannot be used in legal challenges against state agencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Secretary of State to create an agreement with the Administrative Office of the Courts. It would match voter registration data with jury records showing people excused from service due to non-citizenship. The goal is to identify and remove non-citizen registrants from the statewide voter rolls, as they are ineligible to vote under state and federal law. The matching would apply retroactively to all available jury records since 1994, when voter registration became possible while applying for a driver's license. This targets specific registrants who claimed non-citizenship during jury duty requests.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1507) prohibits most entities - including state/local governments, schools, childcare centers, and colleges - from requiring COVID-19 vaccination as a condition of attendance or services. It exempts healthcare workers at licensed facilities who must vaccinate to work with vulnerable patients, aligning with existing healthcare worker vaccine requirements. The bill also creates a reimbursement program through the New Jersey Department of Health to cover out-of-pocket costs for healthcare workers who pay for the vaccine themselves when insurance doesn’t cover it, require employer reimbursement, or face undue financial burden. To qualify, workers must certify specific eligibility conditions, and false claims carry penalties including repayment and fines up to $1,000.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey shore municipalities to adopt local ordinances providing free or reduced-cost beach access for the spouse and dependent children (over age 12) of qualifying veterans. It expands current law - which already offers similar access to active military personnel and National Guard members - to include veterans who served at least 90 days in active duty or were discharged due to a service-connected injury or disability. Municipalities would track usage of this benefit but are not required to implement it. The policy change directly affects veterans' families and applies only to beaches managed by shore municipalities under existing beach access regulations.

Maddy summaryThe Reliability, Preparedness, and Storm Response Act of 2020 requires New Jersey's electric public utilities to annually submit three specific plans to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) by May 15: a service reliability plan for quick power restoration during outages, an emergency communications plan for contacting customers and officials during crises, and a review of strategies to reduce flood risks at substations in flood zones. The BPU must review these plans and can order utilities to make changes if deficiencies are found, or impose penalties for failures that worsen outage durations or communication effectiveness. The bill increases penalties for non-compliance from $100 to $25,000 per violation (capped at $2 million for related events) and creates a fund using collected penalties to improve service quality, with costs not passed to ratepayers.