Asm. Gerry Scharfenberger

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a formal process for submitting and publishing proposed changes to the Governor's annual budget recommendations. It requires all budget resolutions (proposals to add, delete, or modify funding items) to be filed with legislative budget committees and published publicly on the Legislature's website by June 1 each year. The bill mandates that sponsors include detailed explanations of proposed changes and disclose any potential conflicts of interest involving themselves or immediate family members related to the funding recipient. This affects all Assembly and Senate members, the State Treasurer, and the public by requiring timely disclosure before the final appropriations bill is enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey employers from refusing to hire or firing employees based on their legal use of cannabis outside of work hours. It allows drug testing only under specific circumstances like reasonable suspicion of impairment during work, observable intoxication, or after work-related accidents. Employers may not conduct pre-employment cannabis testing except for certain safety-sensitive positions involving critical infrastructure, public utilities, transportation safety, or law enforcement where firearms are required. The bill also establishes a certification program for workplace impairment recognition experts to help determine if an employee is impaired by cannabis while on the job. These protections do not apply to employees in jobs where impairment could pose a high risk to safety or public health.

Maddy summaryAJR 54 designates August 19th of each year as "Trooper Werner Foerster Remembrance Day" to honor Trooper Werner Foerster and all New Jersey law enforcement officers who died in the line of duty. The resolution requests the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and citizens to observe the day with appropriate events, while also directing copies of the resolution to all New Jersey legislators. This is a commemorative measure with no new legal requirements or funding impacts.

Maddy summaryThis bill limits the duration of certain emergency orders, rules, or regulations issued by New Jersey's Governor under the Civil Defense Act to a maximum of 14 days. It requires the Legislature to approve any extension beyond this 14-day period through a concurrent resolution. The Governor cannot issue identical or substantially similar orders for the same emergency after one expires under this rule. Exceptions include orders rescinding prior emergency measures, federal compliance requirements, internal state government operations, military orders, or orders issued under other laws with longer terms.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits schools and school buses in New Jersey from requiring students to wear face masks. It directly affects all students attending public or nonpublic elementary and secondary schools, covering both indoor and outdoor areas of school buildings and school buses. The law explicitly bans mandatory mask-wearing but allows students to choose to wear masks voluntarily. The policy change takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 51) formally adopts four articles of impeachment against Robert Asaro-Angelo, the Commissioner of New Jersey's Department of Labor and Workforce Development (DOLWD). It cites his failure to address the state's unemployment crisis, including delaying the reopening of in-person service centers (One-Stop Career Centers), backlog of unpaid claims, and lack of timely communication. The resolution, passed by the Assembly, impeaches Asaro-Angelo and directs the Speaker to submit the articles to the New Jersey Senate for consideration. It does not create new laws but initiates the constitutional impeachment process against the commissioner.

Maddy summaryAJR 55 designates March 16 each year as "Paws Healing Heroes Day" in New Jersey to recognize service dogs that assist veterans with conditions like PTSD, traumatic brain injury, military sexual trauma, and seizure disorders. The resolution directly affects veterans, service dog organizations (such as Paws Healing Heroes in Glassboro), and the public by raising awareness of these animals' role in veteran support. Its key mechanism is an annual designation requiring the Governor to issue a proclamation encouraging public observance. This is a ceremonial resolution, not a law with funding or regulatory changes, and it takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey electric utilities to fully reimburse residential customers for the cost of replacing specific customer-owned equipment (like weatherheads, meter bases, and fuse boxes) damaged by weather events that cause power outages. It applies when a weather-related event (e.g., storms, floods) damages the equipment - such as from a power surge - without customer fault, as determined by the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) after an investigation. The BPU must create rules to implement this reimbursement process, excluding interior home wiring. This directly affects homeowners who own the defined external equipment connecting their property to the utility grid.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all public meetings of New Jersey's State Board of Education to be accessible both in person and virtually. It mandates that a live virtual link be posted on the Board's website for all meetings, including public comment sessions, and allows attendees to participate remotely via video call. The policy directly affects the public - including parents, educators, and community members - who wish to attend or comment on Board meetings. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A406 amends the "Medical Aid in Dying for the Terminally Ill Act" to strengthen protections against coercion and fraud. It upgrades two offenses to first-degree crimes: coercing a terminally ill patient to request end-of-life medication (previously a third-degree crime) or forging a patient's request (previously a second-degree crime). The bill imposes a mandatory 25-year prison sentence without parole eligibility for these offenses. It directly affects healthcare providers, family members, or others who might attempt to manipulate a patient's decision under the existing medical aid-in-dying law.