Asm. Luanne Peterpaul

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A4521 (A4521) creates a role for county pretrial release coordinators to connect eligible defendants with voluntary services during pretrial release. It directly affects defendants charged with indictable offenses or disorderly persons offenses who are released before trial. Coordinators must help defendants access substance use treatment, SNAP/Medicaid benefits, housing assistance, job training through One-Stop Career Centers, and other needed services - without requiring participation. The bill also mandates data collection on service uptake and outcomes, annual stakeholder meetings to improve services, and annual state funding for implementation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's child endangerment statute to specifically address AI technology that can simulate sexual conduct with children. It creates a new fourth-degree crime for anyone who knowingly or recklessly causes or allows a child to be subjected to such AI-generated sexual conduct through the creation, control, possession, or promotion of the technology. The law includes an exception for AI systems designed to prevent sexual interaction with children, and violations would be punishable by up to 18 months in prison or a $10,000 fine. This amendment targets situations where AI chatbots or similar technology are deliberately programmed to engage in sexual interactions with children, as highlighted in recent reports.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill requires courts to inform victims and abusers about counseling services for children who were physically present during or witnessed domestic violence. It establishes a legal presumption that custody should be awarded to the domestic violence victim (the non-abusive parent) in appropriate cases. Courts can now order counseling for affected children as part of domestic violence protection orders. The bill also expands court authority to require psychological evaluations and other protective measures. These changes aim to better protect children and victims in domestic violence cases by addressing their specific needs.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 3663 requires the Department of State to create a public "Reproductive Health Travel Advisory" for residents. The advisory will inform pregnant New Jersey residents about state laws restricting reproductive healthcare access in other U.S. states, using a color-coded system: Blue (full access), Yellow (restricted access), and Red (extreme restrictions risking health or legal consequences). The advisory must be published online and updated whenever other states change their reproductive healthcare laws. This bill directly affects pregnant New Jersey residents planning travel who may need emergency reproductive care.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students who meet income, asset, and residency requirements and are enrolled full-time in good academic standing at a public or private college or university. Currently, the program covers only full-time undergraduate students pursuing associate's or bachelor's degrees. The state must update its eligibility rules and seek federal funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant to cover the costs of this expansion. This change directly affects graduate and post-graduate students who are parents and rely on the program for child care support.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill ensures that district and county election boards, not judges, make the initial determination on whether ballots with unclear markings should be counted. The boards will use their judgment to decide if marks were intended to vote for a candidate (counting the ballot) or to identify the ballot (rejecting it). Currently, such decisions often required judicial review, but this bill shifts that authority to the election boards directly. This change affects how election results are finalized for ballots with ambiguous marks, streamlining the counting process without altering the criteria for ballot validity.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the time teachers can be away from service while maintaining membership in New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). It increases the standard discontinuance period from two to seven years, and extends the return-to-service window to 25 years for teachers who were laid off or voluntarily left with 10 or more years of service. Teachers returning within these extended timeframes will be re-enrolled in the TPAF at their previous tier with no additional contributions required. The changes apply to all current and future TPAF members who meet the specified conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires landlords in New Jersey to disclose lead drinking water hazards to tenants before lease agreements, including information about lead service lines, building construction dates (pre-1986 properties may contain lead), and recent lead exceedance notices. Landlords must provide a standardized disclosure statement within 90 days of the bill's effective date, with exemptions for newer buildings (post-1986), lead-safe properties, and seasonal rentals. Tenants can request free lead testing from water systems, which must test annually upon request (or every 60 days if lead levels exceed standards), and landlords cannot obstruct replacement of lead service lines - tenants may terminate leases without penalty if obstruction occurs. Violations carry fines up to $1,000 for repeated non-compliance.

Maddy summaryThe "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act" (S 3309) requires used car dealers to check for open recalls on vehicles before sale using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website and provide prospective buyers with printed recall information if any are found. Dealers cannot sell vehicles subject to stop-sale or do-not-drive notices issued by NHTSA. The bill mandates dealers to report vehicles with unresolved recalls (for which repairs remain uncompleted six months after initial notice) to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission every 180 days, prompting the Commission to send notices directly to vehicle owners. For vehicles with unavailable parts for recalls, dealers receive monthly compensation equal to 1.75% of the vehicle's value until repairs are completed.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and Economic Development Authority (EDA) to give priority consideration to municipalities that meet their state-mandated affordable housing requirements when awarding competitive grants through programs like Main Street New Jersey and Neighborhood Preservation. It specifies that compliance is determined by factors such as past housing obligation fulfillment, settlement agreements, or builder's remedy use in the prior housing obligation round (for the first five years), shifting to current-round fulfillment after that. The priority does not apply to grants specifically intended to help municipalities meet their housing obligations. Exempt municipalities (those not subject to housing requirements) automatically qualify for priority consideration.