Asm. Paul Kanitra

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school bus drivers and personnel to call 911 in potential life-threatening emergencies involving students. It mandates that school buses transporting students with disabilities be equipped with specific safety features (though exact features aren't detailed in the text). The bill also requires annual safety training for all bus personnel, including emergency procedures and recognizing signs of life-threatening situations for students with disabilities. Funding for these requirements is included through an appropriation. The bill directly affects school bus operators, drivers, aides, and students with disabilities in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 679) proposes changing how certain drug distribution offenses are categorized in New Jersey law. It would allow offenses involving controlled dangerous substances to be graded based on the number of "units" (e.g., pills, bags, or individual items) rather than the total weight of the substance. This change would directly affect individuals charged with drug distribution, potentially altering sentencing severity for cases involving small quantities measured in units. The bill amends specific sections of New Jersey's controlled substances statutes (N.J.S.2C:35-2 and N.J.S.2C:35-5) to implement this unit-based grading system. The bill is currently in the early stages of the legislative process.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a property tax exemption for New Jersey veterans with service-connected disabilities. It provides a proportional exemption based on disability percentage (up to 100%), covering veterans with conditions like paralysis, amputations, or total blindness, and caps partial exemptions at $10,000. Surviving spouses of eligible veterans or those who died in service also qualify for similar exemptions. Crucially, the state will reimburse municipalities 102% of the lost tax revenue from these exemptions to offset costs. The law amends existing veteran property tax protections under P.L.1948, c.259.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Military Spouse Licensure Reform Act," helps military spouses who move to New Jersey due to a service member's orders. It requires professional licensing boards to issue temporary licenses to spouses who already hold valid, unencumbered licenses in another state, allowing them to work immediately in their profession. The temporary license permits practice while the board processes their full license application, replacing the previous system. The law takes effect immediately for applications submitted after its passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2836) increases the asset limits for certain New Jersey Medicaid applicants who qualify as "medically needy." It directly affects low-income residents in specific groups, including pregnant women, children under 21, seniors 65+, and blind or disabled adults, who have higher asset thresholds than standard Medicaid applicants. The key change raises the resource standard for households: for households of three or more people, the limit increases by $20,000 per additional person (from $100 previously), setting new caps at $40,000 for one-person households and $60,000 for two-person households. This adjustment aims to align New Jersey's Medicaid eligibility with federal guidelines and expand access for qualifying residents with modest assets. The bill is currently pending in the Assembly Aging and Human Services Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey law to require the Director of the Division of Taxation to include sales of properties in age-restricted communities sold by third parties (such as guardians, executors, or trustees) in the table of equalized valuations used for tax assessments. It directly affects residents of age-restricted communities, as current rules exclude these sales from valuation calculations due to their non-market nature. The key change mandates that such third-party sales be counted as part of the data determining fair market value for property tax purposes. This adjustment aims to ensure assessments better reflect actual market conditions for these properties.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to establish a voting integrity task force within the Division of Criminal Justice. The task force will investigate and prosecute crimes involving voting fraud, using a coordinated strategy across state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. It directly affects law enforcement agencies participating in the task force and the state's election integrity processes. The task force must be created within the specified division, and the law takes effect six months after enactment. (3 sentences)

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill requires electric utilities to install smart meters (devices that track real-time electricity usage) upon customer request (with the customer paying the installation cost) and in all new building construction. Utilities must submit installation plans to the Board of Public Utilities within 90 days, include provisions for customers to share their usage data with third parties (like energy providers), and offer time-of-use pricing options within 24 months. It directly affects residential and commercial customers who request smart meters and new building developers. The policy mandates specific data access and billing changes but does not require utilities to cover installation costs for existing customers.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires every New Jersey public school with a library to post a complete, up-to-date list of all library resources - such as books, magazines, DVDs, and digital databases - on its public website in an easily accessible location. Schools must add any newly purchased or ordered resources to the list within 10 days. The school library media specialist is responsible for maintaining the list, or if no specialist exists, the principal must assign a staff member to handle it. The law takes immediate effect upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A-706) prohibits New Jersey public utilities from filing requests for rate increases when the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) is either investigating whether the utility exceeded its authorized profit margin or has ordered a base rate case to review that. It requires the BPU to block any rate hike request during these active investigations or proceedings, continuing until the case or investigation concludes. This directly affects regulated utilities (like gas, electric, water companies) seeking to raise rates while under scrutiny. The law amends existing utility rate regulations to enforce this temporary freeze on rate increases during regulatory reviews.