Asm. Gerry Scharfenberger

Maddy summaryThis bill requires real estate licensees in New Jersey who use text messages to solicit homeowners about selling their homes to send a separate, pre-solicitation text. The initial message must state that the sender is a licensed real estate professional, identify their employer, and clarify it is a solicitation. It directly affects licensed real estate agents and brokers who use text messaging for home sale solicitations, as well as homeowners receiving these messages. Violations would trigger existing penalties under New Jersey real estate law. The New Jersey Real Estate Commission must also create a public education program about the rule, including posting it on their website.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3532) creates a New Jersey gross income tax credit for active, unpaid members of volunteer fire departments, ambulance squads, or rescue organizations. It allows eligible members to claim a credit based on miles driven using their personal vehicle during emergency duty, calculated at the IRS business mileage rate, capped at $500 per individual or $1,000 for joint filers. To qualify, members must meet specific service requirements (e.g., 60% attendance at calls/meetings for non-duty-hour volunteers, or 400+ duty hours for those with duty-hour responsibilities) and be in good standing with their organization. The credit is refundable, meaning it can be paid even if the member owes no income tax, and organizations must certify qualifying members annually to the tax division.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's public colleges and universities to waive or reimburse application fees and transcript fees for veterans, active-duty military members (including Reserve components and New Jersey National Guard), who live in New Jersey and are accepted to the institution. It directly affects eligible military-affiliated students seeking higher education in the state. The key provision mandates that institutions eliminate these specific costs for qualifying individuals at the point of admission. The law takes immediate effect upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4405) requires the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA) to conduct criminal history background checks on all individuals serving as officials (e.g., referees, umpires) at sanctioned high school athletic events. Officials must submit their fingerprints and written consent to the NJSIAA, which forwards the request to the Commissioner of Education for a check against state and federal criminal databases. Individuals with convictions for specific disqualifying crimes (listed in C.18A:6-7.1) will be barred from serving, and the NJSIAA must disqualify officials if new charges or convictions arise after initial approval. The law applies immediately to all current officials, who must comply within 60 days of the bill’s effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all licensed long-term care facilities in New Jersey - including nursing homes, assisted living residences, and dementia care homes - to report detailed data about residents with disabilities. Facilities must submit initial reports within 60 days of the law's effective date, including total resident numbers, disability categories (determined by the Department of Health and Human Services), and age ranges for each category. They must also update these reports whenever there are changes in these statistics. The Department of Health will compile and publish this data quarterly on its public website, providing transparency about disability demographics across facilities. The bill directly affects all 260+ licensed long-term care facilities operating in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 140) is a symbolic condemnation, not a law, addressing Rutgers University's response to student protests. It specifically criticizes Rutgers for accepting eight of ten demands from protesters who established an encampment at Rutgers University-New Brunswick on April 29, 2024. The demands included divesting from companies supporting Israel, ending partnerships with Tel Aviv University, and accepting Gazan students, while the protesters used anti-Semitic rhetoric and glorified Hamas violence. The resolution states Rutgers’ acceptance of these demands created a hostile environment for Jewish students, faculty, and staff, and urges the university to uphold campus safety policies. It directs copies to Rutgers' leadership but has no legal effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey county Sexual Assault Response Teams to include specific training on interacting with victims who have developmental disabilities as part of their standard education program. The teams, composed of forensic sexual assault nurse examiners, rape care advocates, and law enforcement officials, must now receive this training under existing law. The amendment adds "interacting with victims who have developmental disabilities" as a required topic in the standardized training curriculum developed by county program coordinators. This change ensures team members receive targeted instruction to better support victims with developmental disabilities during sexual assault investigations and medical examinations.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4414) requires New Jersey's Division of Developmental Disabilities to reopen all programs providing functional services to people with developmental disabilities that closed during the 2020 public health emergency. It directly affects individuals with developmental disabilities who lost access to these services and the state agency managing them. The bill mandates reopening under the same procedures used for schools, including adherence to health and safety standards from Executive Order No. 175 (2020). It applies immediately and does not alter existing health protocols for these programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year Skilled Trades Career Exploration Pilot Program for high school students in New Jersey, funded by a $5 million appropriation from the General Fund. It directs the Commissioner of Education to award grants to school districts (five per geographic region, representing urban, suburban, and rural areas) to develop or expand career and technical education programs. Grants support three key uses: creating new vocational programs, upgrading equipment/facilities, and providing instructor training. Participating districts must submit annual reports on program impact, with the Commissioner required to report annually to the Governor and Legislature. The program directly affects high school students seeking skilled trades pathways and the school districts receiving grant funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 5% annual cap on reductions to New Jersey school districts' state aid, preventing cuts larger than 5% of a district's prior year total budget. It directly affects all public school districts receiving state aid, including equalization, special education, security, and transportation funding. The cap applies to all districts unless they meet specific exemptions, such as being a high-tax district with spending below adequacy or a regional district meeting cost-saving criteria. The bill ensures no district faces a sudden, steep reduction in state funding beyond this 5% threshold.