Asm. Tennille McCoy

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all health insurance plans and Medicaid in New Jersey to cover treatment for stuttering, including habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy as determined medically necessary by a patient's doctor. The coverage must be provided without prior authorization, utilization management requirements, or any cost-sharing such as deductibles, copays, or coinsurance. It applies to all insurance types including individual and group health plans, health maintenance organizations, and Medicaid, and covers both in-person and telehealth services. The bill defines habilitative speech therapy as therapy that helps a person keep, learn, or improve daily living skills, and rehabilitative speech therapy as therapy that helps restore or improve skills that have been lost or impaired. This legislation would directly affect individuals with stuttering who rely on insurance or Medicaid for speech therapy services.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes clear criteria to determine when a hotel or motel occupant qualifies as a "tenant" (entitled to residential eviction protections) rather than a "transient guest." It requires property owners to consider seven factors, such as staying three+ months, changing official addresses to the hotel, using it as a primary residence, or having kitchen facilities, before applying residential eviction rules. Exceptions include occupants receiving emergency housing assistance (who retain tenant status until benefits end) and those who refuse to provide registration details (who lose tenant status). The law codifies existing court practices to prevent hotels from bypassing tenant protections for long-term guests.

Maddy summaryS 3587 upgrades retail theft offenses in New Jersey, including elevating "leader of organized retail theft enterprise" to a first-degree crime punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The bill creates a new offense for "fostering the sale of stolen property" (including online sales), which is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail. It establishes a retail theft unit within the Department of Law and Public Safety to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft, appropriating $1 million for this purpose. The bill also includes new requirements for gift card sales to prevent fraud, such as mandatory notices for retailers and packaging restrictions for both open- and closed-loop gift cards.

Maddy summaryThis bill defines voter disenfranchisement as denying or abridging the right to vote or register, and establishes criminal penalties for those who engage in such conduct. It prohibits requiring identification to vote or register (except as required by law), creates an Independent Election Oversight Committee to investigate disenfranchisement claims, and allows voters who are disenfranchised to file civil lawsuits for damages. The bill requires election workers to receive training on preventing disenfranchisement, mandates annual audits of election policies, and directs the establishment of a public awareness campaign about voting rights. The legislation appropriates $100,000 to fund the audit and awareness campaign.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5473) allows New Jersey mail-in ballots mailed, delivered in person, or deposited in a ballot drop box *before* a voter's death to be counted, ending the requirement to reject such ballots due to the voter's death after submission. It directly affects voters who die after mailing ballots and county election boards, which must now count these ballots unless other defects exist. Key provisions repeal laws requiring rejection of these ballots and specify that ballots with issues unrelated to death (e.g., signature mismatches) will be rejected without an opportunity to correct them. The change applies immediately to all mail-in ballots meeting the criteria under New Jersey's "Vote By Mail Law."

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a fee refund program for New Jersey businesses applying for state permits, licenses, or certifications. State agencies must submit detailed catalogs of their permit types, fees, and processing times to the Governor, who will then set recommended processing deadlines. If an agency exceeds these deadlines after receiving a complete application, it must refund the application fee (to the extent allowed by law), without affecting the application's outcome. The program applies to all state departments, boards, commissions, and authorities issuing such permits.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3418 would join the Women's Reproductive Health Care Compact, a multi-state agreement to protect access to reproductive health services. The bill requires New Jersey to work with other member states to prevent legal actions against patients or providers (like extradition or license penalties), block disclosure of medical records related to care, and prohibit collecting data on patient locations or travel barriers (such as transportation costs). It directly affects residents seeking reproductive health services - especially those traveling from states with abortion restrictions - and healthcare providers in New Jersey. The compact would be enforced by state attorneys general, with residents able to sue if enforcement fails, while still respecting federal privacy laws like HIPAA.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all health insurers, health maintenance organizations (HMOs), and the State Health Benefits Program in New Jersey to cover medically necessary ovarian cancer screening for women with symptoms or at higher risk. Specifically, it mandates coverage for annual pelvic exams, ultrasounds, and blood tests (like CA-125 markers) as part of routine screening. The law applies to all individual, group, small employer, and state-purchased health plans issued or renewed after its effective date. This ensures consistent access to these diagnostic services without additional cost to patients who qualify under the specified criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey county prosecutors and assistant prosecutors assigned sexual assault cases to complete in-person, specialized training every two years - more frequently than the current triennial requirement. The training must cover cultural competency (addressing race, gender, and socioeconomic factors), emotional intelligence for victim support, and trauma-informed victim-centered approaches to minimize re-traumatization. It also mandates the Attorney General to implement compliance audits and address noncompliance, while adding a rape care advocate to the state’s sexual assault unit. These changes directly affect all prosecutors handling sexual assault cases statewide, aiming to improve victim treatment and case handling through updated, mandatory training.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises the solar alternative compliance payment (SACP) value that electric power suppliers can pay instead of purchasing solar renewable energy certificates (SRECs) to meet solar renewable portfolio standards. The bill reduces the SACP amount for Energy Years 2026 through 2033, setting it at $50 for 2026, $40 for 2027, $30 for 2028, $20 for 2029, and $10 for 2030 through 2033. The bill clarifies that these SACP values are fixed by statute rather than determined by the Board of Public Utilities, and requires any cost savings from this reduction to be reflected in utility rates. This change directly affects electric power suppliers and basic generation service providers who must meet New Jersey's solar energy requirements.