Asm. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

Maddy summaryThis bill creates an independent "Office of the Learning Loss Czar" within New Jersey's Department of Education to address pandemic-related learning gaps. The office will identify effective educational strategies (especially for students of color, low-income students, and students with disabilities), build a public resource bank of these tools, and provide school districts with technical assistance, grant support, and partnerships to implement solutions. It does not create new funding but coordinates existing resources and research. The Learning Loss Czar, appointed by the Governor, will lead this effort while operating independently from the Department of Education. The bill directly affects all New Jersey public school districts and students impacted by pandemic learning disruptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes civil penalties on New Jersey employers who threaten or disclose an employee's immigration status to prevent them from reporting violations of state labor, wage, or tax laws. Employers face escalating fines: up to $1,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for subsequent violations, with each affected employee counted as a separate violation. It directly affects employers who use immigration status as coercion - such as threatening to report an undocumented worker to hide unpaid wages or benefits - to avoid accountability under laws like the State Wage and Hour Law or Gross Income Tax Act. The penalties apply in addition to any existing penalties for the underlying labor violation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Child Care Revitalization Act to restrict $54.5 million in federal funds to licensed child care centers only, removing previous language that would have included registered family child care homes. It ensures facilities improvement grants - ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 - are available solely to licensed centers (not family child care providers) for projects like facility upgrades. The change formalizes an existing exclusion, as family child care providers were never eligible in the initial grant phase. The bill, signed into law as P.L.2024, c.50, directly affects licensed child care centers seeking federal recovery funds for physical improvements.

Maddy summaryThe "Louisa Carman Medical Debt Relief Act" prevents credit reporting agencies from including paid medical debt or medical debt under $500 in credit reports, regardless of when the debt was incurred. It prohibits medical creditors and debt collectors from reporting medical debt to credit agencies for services provided after the law takes effect. The bill requires a 180-day waiting period before collection actions can begin and mandates a 30-day notice with a clear payment deadline before starting collections. Additionally, it protects patients by prohibiting debt collection during pending insurance appeals and requiring credit bureaus to remove debt information if an appeal is pending or the debt is paid.

Maddy summaryS 2793 appropriates $1.723 million from two existing state funds - the constitutionally dedicated "Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund" (using CBT revenues) and the "2009 Farmland Preservation Fund" - to the State Agriculture Development Committee. The funds provide grants to qualifying nonprofit organizations for up to 50% of the cost to acquire development easements or fee simple titles on farmland, with the land maintained for agricultural use through deed restrictions. This directly supports five specific farmland preservation projects across Hunterdon, Sussex, and Warren counties, as approved by the committee. The bill reallocates previously designated funds without creating new taxes or policies.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill revises property tax lien foreclosure procedures to align with a recent Supreme Court ruling requiring property owners to retain equity beyond unpaid taxes. It allows property owners to protect remaining property equity by requesting a judicial sale (like mortgage foreclosures) or online auction through the county sheriff within 45 days of receiving foreclosure notice. If owners don't make this request, lien holders (municipalities or private investors) can take full property title without conducting a sale. Lien holders must clearly inform property owners about this option in bold text with foreclosure notices. The bill ensures any surplus funds from a sale would go to the property owner after lien holders are paid.

Maddy summaryThe "Real Estate Consumer Protection Enhancement Act" (S 3192) establishes clearer definitions and duties for different types of real estate agents and brokers in New Jersey. The bill requires written agency disclosure before services begin, mandates specific duties including loyalty, confidentiality, and disclosure of material information, and sets requirements for property condition disclosures in residential transactions. It also establishes specific signage requirements at open houses and updates continuing education requirements to include specific hours on agency topics for real estate licensees. This legislation directly affects real estate brokerage firms, agents, and consumers involved in real estate transactions across the state.

Maddy summaryThe bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to provide up to $53,883,706 in low-interest loans for 14 specific transportation infrastructure projects in Fiscal Year 2025. These projects include bridge replacements, road improvements, and pedestrian safety initiatives in cities and counties across New Jersey, such as Bayonne's E. 25th Street Pedestrian Bridge Replacement and Atlantic County's Rte. 629 Pedestrian & Traffic Signal Improvement Project. The loans will be provided to local government units (municipalities and counties) and can be repaid over up to 31 years, with interest rates tied to the bank's bond rates. The program expires on July 1, 2025, and is limited to the specific projects outlined in the legislation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's film and digital media tax credit program to include wages and salaries paid to workers not subject to New Jersey's gross income tax due to reciprocity agreements with other states. It expands the definitions of "qualified film production expenses" and "qualified digital media content production expenses" to cover these payments, including compensation paid to workers from states like Pennsylvania with which New Jersey has reciprocal tax agreements. The bill also updates the definition of "full-time or full-time equivalent employee" to include workers whose wages aren't subject to New Jersey tax due to reciprocity agreements. The changes apply retroactively to January 1, 2024, allowing taxpayers who haven't used their tax credit certificates to receive revised certificates under the new rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts to screen all students in kindergarten through third grade three times annually using assessments that measure reading skills like phonological awareness and decoding to identify those not reading at grade level or at risk of falling behind. The New Jersey Department of Education must establish a working group on student literacy, contract with at least two approved assessment providers, and make these assessments available to schools. School districts must notify parents within 15 days of a reading concern, provide evidence-based interventions, and annually report screening data to the state.