Asm. Tennille McCoy

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates a requirement that local health boards of multiple municipalities must be adjacent to share health staff. Currently, such boards could only jointly employ health officers and environmental specialists if the municipalities bordered each other. The bill changes this by allowing any two or more municipalities - regardless of proximity - to collaborate on hiring health personnel and share costs. It takes effect immediately and directly affects local health boards and regional health commissions forming joint staffing arrangements.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare programs to cover specific nutrition services for enrollees with certain diet-related health conditions. It mandates coverage for up to 10 ready-to-eat meals per week for conditions like heart failure, type 2 diabetes, COPD, or kidney disease; enough grocery items for 14 meals per week for type 2 diabetes or obesity; $25+ weekly food vouchers for pre-diabetes, overweight, or high blood pressure; and medical nutrition counseling for diabetes or kidney disease. All services must be prescribed by a healthcare provider and designed by a dietitian or nutritionist as part of a treatment plan, with the state seeking federal approval to implement these changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill enhances access to reproductive health care in New Jersey by requiring health insurance plans to cover abortion without cost-sharing, establishing a $20 million Reproductive Health Access Fund, and repealing several existing abortion restrictions. The fund will support three specific programs: $5 million for training providers in abortion care, $5 million for security grants to facilities at risk of violence, and $10 million for facility renovations and staff recruitment. The bill also prohibits insurance companies from penalizing providers for offering abortion care and bars out-of-state laws from being used in civil actions against people seeking or providing abortion services. It repeals laws requiring parental notification for minors seeking abortion, restricting Medicaid coverage for abortion, and exempting religious employers from abortion coverage requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires every New Jersey county to install at least one drive-up ballot drop box at a location designed for accessibility (with features like turning radius, curb cuts, and handicap parking). It mandates that all ballot drop boxes be clearly marked as "Official Ballot Drop Box" and display specific information in required languages, including tampering penalties, a voter hotline, "no postage needed" notice, county-specific ballot acceptance rules, and the 8:00 p.m. Election Day deadline. The bill also requires counties to post electioneering restrictions (no political activity within 100 feet) and ensures compliance with accessibility standards. These changes apply directly to county election boards, affecting how voters deposit mail-in ballots statewide.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates September of each year as "Menopause Awareness Month" in New Jersey. It directly affects women in New Jersey aged 40-59 (approximately 1.2 million residents in 2019), raising awareness about menopause - a natural stage marked by permanent cessation of menstrual periods after 12 months without them. The resolution requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation encouraging public awareness activities during September to address symptoms like hot flashes and emotional changes, while promoting open discussion about menopause. It aligns with a national observance but does not create new laws or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey law to increase penalties for false public alarms targeting places of worship. It defines a "place of worship" as a building seating over 50 people used permanently for religious services by a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Violations involving such locations become a second-degree crime (previously third-degree) and trigger a minimum $5,000 civil penalty - double the standard $2,000 penalty - plus reimbursement for emergency response costs. The law also requires annual reports from law enforcement on these offenses to the state's Office of Emergency Management.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public agencies receiving state funds for public work to publicly post on their websites a monthly breakdown of how much of those funds was used for contracts with minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses versus other businesses. If an agency lacks a website, it must submit the data to the Department of Labor and Workforce Development, which will post and update it monthly. The Department of Labor must also annually summarize this information in a report to the Governor and Legislature. The requirement applies to all state and local government entities, including departments, boards, and public institutions, but excludes contracts for goods or products.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 97) designates the first week in August as "Adult Diaper Need Awareness Week" in New Jersey. It aims to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by adults with incontinence - particularly older adults, people with disabilities, and those with chronic illnesses like dementia or multiple sclerosis - who often struggle to afford essential incontinence products. The resolution highlights that adult diapers can cost $80-$300 monthly, creating health risks (like rashes or infections) and social isolation when unaffordable, especially for those on limited incomes or without adequate insurance coverage. It does not create new funding or policy changes but encourages community awareness and support through a designated week.

Maddy summaryAJR 102 designates September each year as "Kinship Care Month" in New Jersey. It symbolically recognizes kinship caregivers - relatives or close family friends providing care for children when parents cannot - without creating new laws or programs. The resolution requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation encouraging public observation of the month to highlight the role of these caregivers. This is a non-binding symbolic gesture, not a policy change affecting services or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 15-member task force to study the feasibility of transitioning New Jersey's Executive Branch to a paperless government system. The task force will examine cybersecurity needs, technology options, cost-benefit analyses, legal changes required, and specific processes like electronic permits and records retention. It must issue an interim report within six months and a final report within one year, after which the task force will expire six months later. The study aims to inform potential future legislation but does not mandate any immediate changes to government operations.