Asm. Vicky Flynn

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3934) requires New Jersey school districts to form school climate teams (replacing previous "safety teams") that meet monthly to address bullying and harassment. It mandates schools to complete annual self-assessments, conduct climate surveys, and develop district-wide school climate improvement plans that must be submitted to school boards by May 31 each year. The bill also requires districts to establish anti-bullying mentorship programs at each school to foster teacher-student relationships and prevent bullying. These plans will be integrated into New Jersey's school accountability system (NJQSAC), with the State Board of Education assigning point values for compliance. The bill directly affects all public school districts, administrators, teachers, and students across New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A3933) requires school safety teams to include at least one coach and expands the definition of "harassment, intimidation or bullying" to explicitly include hazing. It also mandates that coaches and advisors of extracurricular activities complete annual training on school anti-bullying policies. These changes apply to all public schools in New Jersey, directly affecting coaches, advisors, and school safety teams by integrating athletic staff into bullying prevention efforts. The bill implements recommendations from the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Task Force to strengthen school safety protocols.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts to provide bullying policy information and communications to parents in languages they understand. It directs the Commissioner of Education to review how school boards handle bullying reports and mandates that the Department of Education update its guidance document to include specific information for LGBTQ+ students and younger children who may need additional support. The bill also requires school districts to make their bullying policies available on websites in the languages most frequently spoken in students' homes. These changes aim to improve accessibility and support for families from diverse linguistic backgrounds.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts to include social media's role in bullying within staff training programs and updates student learning standards to incorporate digital citizenship education. It directs the state Department of Education to develop annual guidance documents on social media's impact in bullying incidents and create an online resource portal for schools. The State Board of Education must revise Social Studies and Career Readiness standards to include instruction on social media use, cyberbullying, and digital safety. These changes affect all public school districts, staff, and students across New Jersey, building on existing anti-bullying frameworks.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3920) establishes the Office of School Climate within New Jersey's Department of Education, led by a School Climate State Coordinator. It directly affects parents and guardians of public school students by requiring the Coordinator to create a central online resource repository with a multilingual tutorial covering harassment, intimidation, and bullying prevention, identification, and reporting procedures. The tutorial must be available in languages common to students' homes. The bill also mandates legislative funding for this office and aligns with recommendations from the New Jersey Anti-Bullying Task Force report.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's anti-bullying law to explicitly include hazing in the definition of harassment, intimidation, or bullying. It requires all school districts to include a statement in their anti-bullying policies acknowledging that such behavior involves a real or perceived power imbalance between individuals. The bill directs the Department of Education to revise its model policy and guidance document to reflect this power imbalance concept. Additionally, it increases the required professional development for teachers on bullying prevention from two to five hours per professional development period.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a program through the New Jersey Collaborating Center for Nursing (NJCCN) to support veterans' memorial homes in creating or improving nursing residency programs for licensed practical nurses (LPNs) and registered nurses (RNs). Veterans' memorial homes in New Jersey can apply for financial, material, and technical assistance to develop these programs, with applications approved on a first-come, first-served basis. The bill appropriates $500,000 from the state General Fund to fund this initiative and requires participating homes to track residency completion and job retention data, which must be reported annually to the Governor and Legislature.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3730) updates civil remedies for New Jersey residents who suffer privacy violations from unauthorized recording or disclosure of sexual or intimate images. It allows victims to sue in Superior Court anonymously using a pseudonym or initials, request sealed court records to protect their identity, and seek damages. Key changes include raising the minimum liquidated damages per violation from $1,000 to $10,000 (considering factors like the actor’s age and frequency of violations) and permitting recovery of any financial gain the actor earned from the disclosure. Exceptions to liability include disclosures made to law enforcement, for medical treatment, or in reporting unlawful conduct. The bill specifically protects parents, guardians, or "consistent caretakers" from liability when disclosing a child’s image for non-harmful reasons.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey home insurance companies to include coverage for water damage caused by groundwater seepage, leaking/burst water or sewer pipes, or flooding in all policies for one-to-four-family homes. It defines key terms like "groundwater seepage" (water entering through foundation flaws) and "water damage" (physical damage from direct water contact). Insurers must offer this coverage in standard policies, though they may adjust terms if homeowners fail to address risk factors like un-repaired pipes. The law takes effect 90 days after enactment and applies to policies delivered, issued, or renewed on or after that date.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey counties to create voluntary registries for seniors aged 65+ to receive emergency assistance. Counties must collect basic contact and medical information from participants, run public awareness campaigns, and maintain strict data privacy (excluding registry details from public records). Each county may also prepare emergency supply kits for registered seniors, with kit contents determined locally. The state will fund kit preparation through the General Fund. The bill directly affects seniors seeking enhanced emergency support and counties managing disaster response.