Asm. Rob Clifton

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Planning Commission to create model ordinances for siting warehouses (like distribution centers), helping towns and cities update their zoning rules. Municipalities can apply for up to $50,000 in reimbursement from a new $5 million state fund to revise zoning codes to align with these models. The law aims to help communities determine where large warehouses can be built, avoiding conflicts near homes, schools, parks, and historic areas. It directly affects local governments managing land use planning and warehouse development.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that if a first responder (such as an EMT, police officer, or emergency medical technician) administers an opioid antidote (like naloxone) during an overdose and has contact with the person's bodily fluids (e.g., via needle exposure), they may request the local public health officer to seek voluntary testing for HIV, hepatitis, and other bloodborne diseases. If the person refuses consent within 24 hours, the public health officer can seek a court order for mandatory testing, which must be granted if the court finds a risk of disease transmission. Test results are confidential, shared only with the tested person and the requesting responder, and cannot be used for law enforcement or civil cases. The person tested may be ordered to reimburse the state for testing costs, but healthcare providers performing tests under this law are protected from liability.

Maddy summaryACR 38 proposes a constitutional amendment to extend New Jersey's existing $250 annual property tax deduction for veterans to Gold Star families. Specifically, it would allow parents, siblings, children, legal guardians, or other legal custodians of service members who died on active duty or from combat injuries to claim the deduction - currently available to honorably discharged veterans and unmarried surviving spouses. The amendment would maintain the $250 deduction amount and limit eligibility to one deduction per family, with priority among eligible relatives determined by law. This change requires voter approval through a constitutional referendum, as it modifies the state constitution.

Maddy summaryThis bill criminalizes occupying an empty or vacant home without the owner's permission, addressing what the bill calls "squatting." It creates three specific offenses: forcibly entering a vacant dwelling (housebreaking), taking up residence without permission (unlawful occupancy), and reentering after a court-ordered eviction (unlawful reentry). All are classified as fourth-degree crimes punishable by up to 18 months in jail or a $10,000 fine. The bill presumes a person knows they lack permission unless they provide a notarized rental agreement with the owner's contact details, changing the current process where owners must seek civil court eviction.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits modifying a vehicle's muffler or exhaust system to produce louder noise than the original factory setting. It directly affects car owners who install aftermarket exhaust systems that amplify sound beyond standard levels. The bill increases penalties for violations from a $25 fine to a maximum of $500 or 30 days in jail. The law aims to reduce noise pollution by enforcing stricter standards on vehicle exhaust systems under New Jersey's existing traffic safety regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to allow any member who participated in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations to qualify for accidental disability retirement benefits if they develop a disability linked to that work. It presumes that health conditions from 9/11 exposure (like respiratory illnesses or PTSD) resulted from their duties if they worked at least eight hours at the site, or if they had a documented injury preventing further participation. Members who later retire on ordinary disability or service retirement can also seek recalculated benefits if they develop qualifying 9/11-related disabilities. The policy change applies to all PERS members, regardless of when they joined the system, removing previous restrictions that limited eligibility to specific roles like emergency medical technicians.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 57) urges New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to impose an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping activities off the New Jersey coast. It is prompted by the unexplained deaths of at least 12 whales (including 8 humpbacks) and 5 dolphins recorded near offshore wind development areas since December 2022. The resolution calls for pausing these activities to allow for scientific study of potential links between sonar/mapping technologies and the marine life deaths. As a resolution, it does not create law but formally requests federal and state agencies to halt related operations pending investigation.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A494) adds a new incentive for municipalities to convert abandoned properties into affordable housing. It allows local governments to earn **two additional credit units** toward their fair share housing obligation for each affordable housing unit created on property that was previously listed as abandoned (under NJ law) and later rehabilitated. The credit applies only to units restricted for low/moderate income households on properties that were formally removed from the municipal abandoned property list after rehabilitation. This policy directly affects municipalities required to meet state-mandated affordable housing targets under the Fair Housing Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill would shift the administration of affordable housing obligations from municipalities to the state-level Council on Affordable Housing (COAH), requiring COAH to calculate the statewide affordable housing need rather than relying on municipal or regional calculations. Municipalities would submit housing elements to COAH detailing their current housing stock and potential for affordable housing development, and COAH would grant "substantive certification" to qualifying municipalities, shielding them from exclusionary zoning lawsuits. The bill would require COAH to develop fair share plans for each municipality based on the statewide need and establish a mediation process for disputes about these plans. This change would replace the current system where municipalities determine their own affordable housing obligations with a centralized statewide approach.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows state employees who were temporarily working at New Jersey psychiatric hospitals or correctional facilities before joining the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to apply for accidental disability benefits if injured during that temporary employment. It deems injuries sustained while performing duties (e.g., as nurses, correction officers, or healthcare workers) at those facilities as occurring "during membership" for PERS benefit eligibility, even if the injury happened before PERS enrollment. The change applies retroactively to January 1, 2003, and covers employees who later become PERS members without interruption in their job. This specifically affects temporary workers in state psychiatric or correctional facilities who were previously ineligible for PERS disability benefits after becoming members.