Asm. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a grant program through New Jersey's Department of Education to help public schools purchase and install filtered bottle-filling stations and filtered faucets. Schools with documented water quality issues - such as elevated lead levels - will receive priority, along with schools that haven’t already installed such systems. The program requires the Department to establish the grants within 90 days, provide application guidance, and report on usage and funding needs by 2026. All filtered equipment must meet NSF/ANSI standards for lead and contaminant removal. The bill directly affects all New Jersey public schools seeking safer drinking water infrastructure.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes who pays New Jersey's property transfer fees and taxes by shifting responsibility from buyers to sellers for certain real estate transactions exceeding $1 million in value. It increases tax rates for property transfers valued over $2 million, with rates ranging from 2% to 3.5% based on the transfer amount (2% for $2M-$2.5M, 2.5% for $2.5M-$3M, 3% for $3M-$3.5M, and 3.5% for over $3.5M). The bill affects residential, commercial, farm, and cooperative property transfers, and creates a refund process for sellers who paid excess fees on transactions contracted before July 10, 2025 and recorded before November 15, 2025. These changes apply to property transfers occurring on or after July 10, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Transportation (DOT) to create a "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan" within 24 months. The plan must identify natural wildlife movement pathways, areas with frequent animal-vehicle collisions, and barriers like roads, then prioritize safety projects to protect both wildlife and drivers. It mandates the plan be updated every 10 years and coordinated with conservation groups, existing projects like NJ CHANJ, and road construction. The state appropriates $90,000 to fund the DEP and DOT's work on this plan. The bill directly affects wildlife habitats, driver safety, and state agency planning processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases tax credits for investors who fund New Jersey emerging technology businesses, raising the credit rate from 20% to 60% of qualified investments, with an additional 5% available for investments in opportunity zones, low-income communities, or certified minority/women-owned businesses. It also lowers the maximum employee count for qualifying businesses from 225 to 150 employees. The bill repeals the "New Jersey Ignite Act" while updating definitions and mechanisms for the tax credit program to better support technology startups across fields like biotechnology, renewable energy, and advanced computing. This change directly affects individual investors and venture funds making qualifying investments in New Jersey-based technology businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises the structure and responsibilities of New Jersey's Commission on Environmental Education. It increases the commission's membership from 23 to 32 members, adding specific roles including a Board of Public Utilities designee, a Department of Agriculture representative, an additional public school teacher, an extra industry representative, an additional cultural institution representative, and a new environmental justice organization representative. The bill also updates the commission's duties to specifically advise on implementing climate, sustainability, and environmental literacy education statewide, while requiring efforts to appoint members from overburdened communities. The changes aim to strengthen the commission's role in coordinating environmental education across state agencies and schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes regulations for "earned income access services" in New Jersey, which allow workers to access their earned but unpaid wages before their regular payday. It requires service providers to obtain a license from the Department of Banking and Insurance, verify consumers' earned income, and deliver funds before the employer's scheduled payment date. The bill prohibits providers from charging interest on these services (treating them as non-loans), limits fees to a department-set cap, and requires clear disclosures to consumers about their rights. It also restricts how providers can share consumer information and mandates annual reporting on service usage and fees, applying specifically to providers operating in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates New Jersey's sales tax on specific baby products and sunscreen. It exempts baby wash, shampoo, lotions, powders, car seats (child restraint systems), cribs (including bassinets), nursing bottles/nipples/funnels, and strollers from the state sales tax. Sunscreen is also exempt if it's FDA-regulated for UV protection (lotion, cream, spray, or gel), excluding cosmetic products. The tax change applies to retail sales starting October 1, 2025, directly benefiting parents and caregivers purchasing these items.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises licensing requirements for residential facilities providing substance use disorder treatment in New Jersey. It mandates new applicants to submit a financial audit by an independent accountant (paid by the applicant) and undergo criminal background checks for owners/principals, with licensure denied for findings of fraud or dishonesty. The Department of Health must also conduct unannounced facility inspections. These changes directly affect new and existing treatment facilities seeking or maintaining state licensure.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5376) creates two new state entities: the Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission (18 members) and the Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency within the Department of Health. It requires hospitals to publicly disclose pricing data for inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and physician services (using standard billing codes) and sets annual benchmarks for health care cost growth and hospital prices. Health care entities exceeding these benchmarks must submit improvement plans, and hospitals failing to comply with transparency rules face civil penalties of $10 per bed per day. The bill directly affects all hospitals, health care providers, and payers in New Jersey, with $5 million appropriated for implementation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey law enforcement and criminal justice agencies to promptly process judicial orders expunging criminal records without filing objections in six specific situations, such as when petitions contain minor errors or incomplete biographical information. It establishes clear timelines for agencies to expunge eligible records and mandates online notifications to petitioners about any limitations via state e-filing systems. The law directly affects individuals seeking to clear records under the "Clean Slate" law (P.L.2019, c.269) or other expungement statutes, particularly those with municipal violations or incomplete applications. Agencies must still follow existing disqualification rules (e.g., N.J.S.2C:52-13) but cannot delay valid petitions.