Asm. Gerry Scharfenberger

Maddy summaryThis bill creates New Jersey's "Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act," protecting active-duty military members (including National Guard), their dependents, and reservists called to duty. It provides concrete protections like temporary pauses on court cases (up to 90 days), debt collection, tax payments, and insurance premiums during service or within 180 days after. The law explicitly prevents creditors, insurers, or courts from penalizing servicemembers for using these protections - such as denying credit or raising insurance rates. It applies to all civil obligations, including leases, contracts, and court proceedings, ensuring servicemembers' rights are maintained during military service.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's public colleges and universities to waive or refund application fees and transcript fees for veterans, active-duty military members, reservists, and New Jersey National Guard members who live in the state and are admitted. It directly affects these eligible military-affiliated individuals and public higher education institutions. The key provision mandates that institutions cover these specific costs instead of charging them during the application process. The policy takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Jersey's school funding formulas and creates a Special Education Funding Review Task Force. It requires the education commissioner to notify school districts annually about funding amounts, including per-pupil costs, special education aid, and geographic adjustments, based on the state's Educational Adequacy Report. The bill clarifies how districts calculate their required local tax levies and adjusts special education funding when actual aid differs from initial projections. It directly affects all New Jersey public school districts by changing how state aid is calculated and distributed. The Special Education Funding Review Task Force will be established to examine funding mechanisms for students with disabilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 2816) amends New Jersey's tax code to extend a $6,000 gross income tax exemption currently available to veterans to the spouses of deceased veterans. Under the current law, a veteran's spouse could claim this exemption only in the tax year the veteran died (if filing jointly), but not in future years. The bill would allow the spouse to continue claiming the $6,000 exemption starting the year after the veteran's death, and until the year they remarry. This directly affects surviving spouses of veterans who were honorably discharged and eligible for the exemption in their final tax year.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey municipalities to earn extra credit toward their affordable housing requirements by reserving units for low- or moderate-income teachers. Specifically, each housing unit reserved for a teacher household earns one full credit plus half a bonus credit. The bill defines "teacher" broadly as anyone employed to teach pre-K through 12th grade in public or private schools. It takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryACR 38 proposes amending the New Jersey Constitution to explicitly permit public funds to be used for historic preservation of places of worship, such as churches, as part of a government historic preservation program. This directly affects counties and municipalities that maintain historic preservation funds, which were previously restricted from funding church repairs under the state's Religious Aid Clause. The amendment would override a 2023 New Jersey Supreme Court ruling (Freedom From Religion Foundation v. Morris County) that deemed such funding unconstitutional. It does not change existing rules about public funding for religious activities unrelated to historic preservation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an annual four-day sales tax holiday in New Jersey, exempting most physical goods from sales tax during the period from 12:01 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving through 11:59 p.m. on the Monday after Thanksgiving. The holiday covers popular shopping days including Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, Sunday, and Cyber Monday, directly affecting consumers who purchase qualifying items and retailers who do not collect sales tax during this window. It applies to retail sales of tangible personal property (physical goods) but excludes services and certain items like food or clothing. The law takes effect immediately, with temporary regulations allowing the tax authority to implement rules within 180 days.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Board of Education to obtain legislative approval for all new rules, amendments, or readoptions of existing rules through a concurrent resolution passed by both legislative chambers. It also permanently repeals the "Managing for Equity in Education" regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:7), which were recently adopted to address school equity. The State Board must now submit proposed rules to the Legislature for approval before implementation, and the Office of Administrative Law must include the legislative resolution when filing rule notices. This directly affects the State Board of Education (which loses unilateral rule-making authority) and school districts previously governed by the repealed equity regulations.

Maddy summaryBill A 546 repeals New Jersey’s prohibition on certain businesses selling single-use products (like plastic straws or utensils), directly affecting restaurants, retailers, and food service establishments that previously faced restrictions. It also amends the Clean Communities Program Fund to adjust how state funds support litter cleanup and education initiatives, including distributing money to municipalities and counties based on housing units or road mileage. The bill removes sections 1-9 of P.L.2020, c.117, which established the single-use product ban, and takes effect immediately. This change shifts policy from restricting single-use items to enabling their sale without legal barriers.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires life insurance companies to check for outstanding child support judgments before paying out policy proceeds. It creates a lien against life insurance payouts (including cash surrender value) when the insured or beneficiary owes child support, ensuring those funds go toward satisfying the debt first. Insurers must verify the policyholder's or beneficiary's child support status through a database search before distributing any payment. This directly affects parents with child support judgments, life insurance beneficiaries, and insurers handling policy distributions.