Asm. Paul Kanitra

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey public school districts to include age-appropriate instruction about the historical atrocities committed by the Soviet Union (USSR), China (PRC), and Nazi Germany in grades 9-12 social studies curriculum. It mandates coverage of the establishment of these regimes, human rights abuses and genocides they perpetrated, and systems like gulags and concentration camps used to suppress dissent. School districts must follow State Board of Education standards for age-appropriate content, and the Commissioner of Education will provide sample instructional materials. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A6245, "Police Training Cost Recovery Act") requires municipalities hiring Class Two special law enforcement officers to reimburse the officer's former employer for training and hiring costs under specific conditions. If an officer resigns after less than 30 days with their original municipality and joins another agency within 120 days, the new municipality must pay the full certified costs. If the officer resigns after less than two years but before 30 days, the new municipality pays 50% of the certified costs. The new agency must notify the former employer immediately upon hiring and pay within 120 days of receiving cost documentation. This applies only to Class Two special officers (who have powers similar to full-time officers) and expands current reimbursement rules to cover both Class Two special and full-time appointments.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $5 million grant program to help building owners restore or remove structures with compromised water systems that pose Legionnaires' disease risks. It directly affects owners of buildings with aging water infrastructure, particularly those with over 100 service connections. Key provisions require public water systems to develop maintenance plans based on new Department of Environmental Protection guidelines for preventing Legionella bacteria growth, including flushing schedules and disinfectant monitoring. The bill also mandates annual compliance certifications and creates public education campaigns about Legionella risks in water systems.

Maddy summaryThe "Reasonable Pediatric Questions Act" (A6247) removes a requirement for New Jersey clinical laboratories to ask children under 16 about their gender identity or sexual orientation. Currently, state law mandates labs to record this information for all patients, but the bill exempts children 16 and younger from these specific questions. Licensed labs no longer must collect or record gender identity or sexual orientation data for children under 16, though requirements for patients 17 and older remain unchanged. This change directly affects clinical laboratories and pediatric patients under 16 in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A6246) bans companies from designing, developing, or marketing artificial intelligence that mimics romantic or sexual relationships with humans, except for approved medical therapy under a healthcare professional's supervision. It prohibits AI that uses adaptive learning to create the illusion of a personal relationship, such as AI posing as a romantic partner. Violators face civil penalties up to $25,000 per violation, and victims can sue for emotional, financial, or relational harm, including punitive damages. The law targets deceptive AI interactions while allowing medically supervised AI for conditions like social anxiety.

Maddy summaryACR 180 proposes amending New Jersey's Constitution to require a four-fifths majority vote (32 Senate seats and 64 Assembly seats) in both legislative chambers to submit constitutional amendments to voters during "lame duck" sessions. This would apply specifically to the period starting when voters can cast ballots in the November general election for the General Assembly and ending when the new Legislature convenes in January. Currently, constitutional amendments only require a three-fifths majority (24 Senate/48 Assembly) or a simple majority over two consecutive sessions. The bill does not change the process for submitting amendments outside of this specific lame duck window.

Maddy summaryACR 178 is a non-binding New Jersey resolution urging Congress to place a statue of Charles "Charlie" Kirk in the U.S. Capitol. It does not change any laws or directly affect residents, as it only requests a symbolic memorial. The resolution cites Kirk's work founding Turning Point USA and his assassination in 2025, referencing prior congressional resolutions and a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom. The bill serves purely as a commemorative gesture, with no policy impact.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Next Gen STEM Support Act" to provide grant funding for New Jersey public schools to enhance STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education. It directs the Commissioner of Education to create a program distributing grants (capped at $100,000 annually) to schools for STEM coursework, resources (like lab equipment and software), extracurricular activities, and student engagement. Schools must apply with detailed plans, cannot spend more than one-third of their grant on educator training, and must report annually on fund usage and impact. The program prioritizes distributing funds across diverse regions (northern, central, southern) and school types (urban, suburban, rural) within available funding.

Maddy summaryACR 179 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would require a two-thirds majority vote in both the New Jersey Senate and General Assembly to advance or pass certain legislation during "lame duck" sessions. This applies specifically between the earliest date voters can cast ballots in a general election for Assembly members (during the second year of a Legislature) and the start of the new Legislature. The bill mandates that 27 Senate votes (out of 40) and 54 Assembly votes (out of 80) would be needed to move bills or reenact conditionally vetoed bills during this period. It does not apply to bills returned by the Governor with objections, but requires the same two-thirds vote for their reenactment.

Maddy summaryThe "Restore Local Offshore Wind Control Act" (A6243) requires developers of offshore wind projects to obtain written approval from local governments before installing or maintaining infrastructure like power lines and conduits in public streets, rights-of-way, or on local government-owned property. It directly affects offshore wind developers and local governments (counties, municipalities, and certain agencies) by giving them authority to approve or deny project-related infrastructure within their jurisdictions. The bill mandates a two-step process: developers must first seek Board of Public Utilities approval for property easements via a public hearing, then local governments have 90 days to approve or reject the request after reviewing the Board’s determination. Developers must cover all associated costs, including review fees, for these approvals.