Asm. Tennille McCoy

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year "Male Teachers of Color Mentorship Pilot Program" in New Jersey, targeting male students of color in their final year of educator preparation programs at participating colleges and male teachers of color currently working in schools. The program pairs each eligible student with a mentor teacher for their final academic year and the first two years of teaching, if hired by the same school district. Mentors receive a $5,000 annual stipend, and participating schools must make a good-faith effort to hire students who receive positive performance reviews. The program requires a final report on effectiveness and is funded with $95,000 from the General Fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Medicaid program to pay providers the same rate for certain primary and mental health services as the federal Medicare program, starting July 1, 2023. It applies to services provided by physicians in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, or OB/GYN; advanced practice nurses, physician assistants, midwives; and mental health professionals like psychologists and licensed counselors. The law prevents Medicaid reimbursement rates from decreasing below prior year levels and covers both fee-for-service and managed care systems. It also mandates a report within one year on how these rate changes affect access and quality of care for Medicaid beneficiaries, including recommendations for underserved areas.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires state contractors bidding on government contracts to submit reports measuring gender-based pay equity (whether men and women doing similar work are paid equally) and job equality (whether certain job titles are dominated by one gender). It directly affects all businesses seeking state contracts by mandating they evaluate and report on these workplace practices. The state's Division of Purchase and Property will develop standardized reporting tools, assign ratings based on findings, and factor these ratings into contract awards alongside price and other considerations. Exemptions apply for urgent contracts or those funded by federal money where compliance might jeopardize funding. The system takes effect one year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 10-member task force to examine school discipline policies in New Jersey public schools, specifically focusing on racial disparities in how discipline is applied and the effectiveness of current practices. The task force includes the Commissioner of Education, seven members appointed by the Governor (representing school boards, teachers, administrators, and public experts), and two public members appointed by legislative leaders. It will study racial impacts on suspensions/expulsions (including preschool), evaluate safety outcomes, review federal guidance on equitable discipline, and identify best practices. The task force must issue a final report with recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within 12 months of forming.

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 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.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Police Training Commission to study gender disparities in police employment across state, county, and municipal law enforcement agencies. The Commission must examine recruitment, hiring practices, and retention policies affecting women officers, focusing on why women remain significantly underrepresented (currently only 5.6% in the State Police). Within six months of the bill's enactment, the Commission must issue a report with specific recommendations to the Governor and Legislature to improve gender representation. The study aims to address systemic barriers, such as non-job-related fitness standards, identified as contributing to low female recruitment and retention.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's Veteran Services Grant Program within the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA). It appropriates $2 million from the General Fund to provide competitive grants to qualified nonprofit veterans' organizations (like 501(c)(3) groups or federally chartered Veterans' Service Organizations). The grants will directly assist veterans in applying for state and federal benefits, and/or fund training for DMVA's veterans service officers. Organizations applying must detail their training plans or the number of additional service officers they'll provide to help veterans access benefits. The program requires annual reports on effectiveness to the Governor and Legislature.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a state-funded program to reimburse county governments for providing transportation services to disabled veterans traveling to medical appointments for service-connected conditions. It appropriates $2 million from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to support this initiative. The program directly affects disabled veterans who are honorably discharged from military service and certified by the U.S. Veterans Administration as having service-connected disabilities. Counties that provide transportation services to these veterans can receive state reimbursement, reducing out-of-pocket costs for veterans needing medical care. The bill amends existing law to create this specific reimbursement mechanism for county transportation services.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a state-funded program to provide mental health services to New Jersey veterans through grants. It allocates $2 million from the General Fund to the Department of Military and Veterans' Affairs to award grants to qualified veterans organizations. These organizations must contract with licensed mental health professionals to deliver services and must qualify as tax-exempt (501(c)(3) or 501(c)(19)) or be federally chartered veterans service groups, including specified entities like the New Jersey SOS Veterans Stakeholders Group. The program directly affects veterans seeking mental health care and the eligible organizations administering the services.