Asm. Luanne Peterpaul

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for retailers who sell tobacco or vapor products to people under 21. First violations now carry $500 fines (up from $250), second violations $1,000 (up from $500), and third or subsequent violations $2,000 (up from $1,000). Small businesses with clear compliance policies pay only $100 for the first violation. Five percent of collected fines will fund public education on vapor product dangers and illegal sales. Retailers must also post new signs at points of sale and vending machines warning that selling to minors is prohibited.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the FY2026 annual funding for New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) by $16.7 million to raise the monthly reimbursement rate paid to care management organizations (CMOs). The rate for CMO services will increase from $1,032 to $1,200 per client starting in FY2026, with annual $100 increases each year until reaching $1,500 per client. CMOs - county-based agencies providing coordinated care for youth with behavioral health needs, substance use disorders, or developmental disabilities - will directly benefit from this higher payment rate. The change is implemented through an amendment to the state's 2025-2026 budget appropriations act.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $52,798,268 from existing farmland preservation funds to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation. It provides $21 million for acquiring development easements or fee simple titles to farmland, including grants to counties (up to 80% of costs) and nonprofits (up to 50% of costs). An additional $3.45 million supports stewardship activities like soil conservation and deer fencing on preserved farmland, while $28.3 million covers administrative costs for SADC operations and enforcement. The funding directly affects landowners, local governments, and nonprofit organizations working to preserve agricultural land in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A5862 appropriates $34 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to fund farmland preservation. The funds will provide planning incentive grants to eligible counties - specifically five counties receiving base grants of $500,000-$1 million, plus 10 additional counties eligible for competitive grants - to cover up to 80% of costs for permanent land protections (development easements) on farmland. The grants are administered through the State Agriculture Development Committee under the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, with a county’s maximum total award capped at $8.5 million. This bill directly affects participating counties in agricultural areas by enabling local governments to preserve farmland through permanent land protections.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Medicaid program and Plan First program to cover fertility preservation services for individuals whose fertility may be impaired by medically necessary treatments like cancer therapy. It defines "iatrogenic infertility" as fertility loss caused by medical treatments affecting reproductive organs, and specifies that covered services include storage of sperm, eggs, embryos, and cryopreserved ovarian tissue. The coverage must be provided without discrimination based on age, gender, sexual orientation, or other personal characteristics, making these often-expensive services accessible to low-to-moderate income patients who would otherwise be unable to afford them.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes standardized credit transfer rules for New Jersey public colleges and universities, replacing previous "collective agreements" with requirements set by the Secretary of Higher Education. It creates a New Jersey Transfer Ombudsman within the Secretary's office to resolve disputes between students and institutions about credit transfers, conduct compliance reviews every three years, and publish annual reports on transfer outcomes. Public institutions must now provide transfer students with data on program completion rates and ensure associate degrees earned at community colleges are fully transferable toward bachelor's degrees. The changes directly affect students transferring between NJ public colleges and universities, as well as the institutions themselves, by standardizing credit recognition and adding oversight.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes several changes to New Jersey's school funding system. It requires the Department of Education to publish school district funding calculations in plain language, establishes a Special Education Funding Review Task Force to examine special education funding models, and creates "reduction adjustment aid" to limit annual reductions in state school aid to no more than 2% of a district's previous year's total operating budget. The bill also adjusts vocational expansion stabilization aid for enrollment changes and establishes protections for school districts in municipalities with high tax rates that are spending below adequacy levels. These changes aim to improve transparency, adjust funding formulas, and protect school districts from excessive aid reductions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance carriers in New Jersey to cover prostate cancer screening without cost sharing (no deductibles, copays, or coinsurance). It expands the definition of "prostate cancer screening" to include more diagnostic methods beyond digital rectal exams and PSA tests, such as urinary analysis, serum biomarkers, and medical imaging. The coverage applies to men age 50+ who are asymptomatic, and men age 40+ with family history of prostate cancer or other risk factors. The bill extends these requirements to additional insurance types, including individual health insurance policies, that weren't previously required to cover prostate cancer screening under current law.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Health Equity Access and Leadership (HEAL) Fund within New Jersey's existing Health Care Subsidy Fund. It appropriates $25 million from the General Fund and allocates at least 0.1% of projected annual Health Care Subsidy Fund revenue to the HEAL Fund. The fund provides competitive grants to community health organizations serving underserved patients (including those with reduced access due to lost federal/state funding) and all patients regardless of race, immigration status, or other protected characteristics, provided they received no federal funding in the prior year. The Commissioner of Health must distribute funds via a competitive process and submit annual reports detailing fund usage, grant recipients, and outcomes.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly Resolution 201 condemns Turkey's 1974 invasion and ongoing occupation of Cyprus, which displaced over 160,000 Cypriots (nearly one-third of Cyprus's population) and violated international law. It calls on Turkey to immediately withdraw forces, respect human rights agreements, and cooperate on identifying missing persons - including four U.S. citizens - and supports a UN-backed solution of a bizonal, bicommunal federation for Cyprus. The resolution is symbolic, transmitted to the U.S. President and Congress, but does not create new legal requirements or directly affect individuals. It aligns with European Court and UN positions affirming Cypriot property rights and self-determination.