Asm. Verlina Reynolds-Jackson

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey health insurance companies and plans to cover medical services, equipment, and prescriptions for children and teens under 18 with diagnosed complex medical needs, as determined necessary by a licensed doctor. Key provisions include: insurers must approve covered benefits within three days of a doctor's written request and cannot require pre-approvals or precertification for services already covered under the plan. It defines "complex medical needs" as conditions that are life-threatening, persistently disabling, require specialized care, or involve high-risk procedures. The law applies to all health plans issued in New Jersey on or after its effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's brewery licensing laws to permit certain licensed breweries to sell alcoholic beverages by the glass for on-premises consumption in designated salesrooms. Specifically, it expands the "Limited brewery license" (Section 1b) to allow license holders to sell up to 15.5 fluid gallons per person for off-premises consumption and to offer samples, while maintaining existing restrictions on food sales. The provision directly affects licensed breweries seeking to sell directly to consumers in tasting rooms or sales facilities. Note: The bill's title incorrectly references "wineries," but the text applies only to breweries producing malt alcoholic beverages, not wine producers. This bill was withdrawn after being enacted as P.L.2025, c.376.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a 25% gross income tax deduction for K-12 teachers' wages. It directly affects teachers employed by public school districts (boards of education), charter schools, Renaissance school projects, or nonpublic schools in New Jersey. The deduction equals 25% of the wages paid by these employers during the taxable year. The policy applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment date.

Maddy summaryThis bill grants executors or administrators of an estate legal authority to manage the online accounts (including social media, email, and microblogging services) of a deceased person. It directly affects estate executors, families, and digital service providers by clarifying that these officials can access, delete, or administer such accounts without requiring additional court orders in all cases. The key provision explicitly permits these actions where otherwise legally authorized, aligning with similar laws in Oklahoma and other jurisdictions. The bill does not create new requirements but clarifies existing authority under probate procedures.

Maddy summaryAJR 96 designates July 30 of each year as "Clarence 'Coach C' Collins Day" to honor his 13-year service as a youth mentor at University Academy Charter High School in Jersey City. The bill recognizes his work developing academic and career workshops for at-risk students, reforming youth internship programs with the City Recreation Department, and founding community initiatives like the Woodlawn Avenue Block Association. It requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation to commemorate his legacy of supporting youth and strengthening community ties. This is a ceremonial resolution with no policy changes, solely celebrating Collins' impact on Jersey City's youth and community.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3145) increases state aid to New Jersey municipalities from the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over five years to reverse previous aid cuts. It directly affects all municipalities by requiring them to reduce their annual property tax levies by the amount of the additional state aid received. Key provisions update how the fund's distributions are calculated and require that new aid amounts be subtracted from each municipality's local tax levy. The bill modifies existing laws (P.L.1997, c.167 and P.L.2007, c.62) to implement this adjustment. It does not change the total annual fund amount but ensures municipalities cannot increase their tax burden while receiving more state aid.

Maddy summaryThe "Healthy Smiles Act" increases NJ FamilyCare's fee-for-service reimbursement rates for pediatric dental services by 20% starting July 1, 2025 (or 60 days after enactment), with annual adjustments based on regional inflation. It also requires managed care organizations to pay providers at least the same rate for identical services as the fee-for-service rate. This directly affects children under 21 enrolled in NJ FamilyCare (covering 20% of New Jersey’s population) and dental providers participating in the program. The goal is to improve access to dental care by addressing historically low reimbursement rates that have limited provider participation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a New Jersey Statewide Suicide Prevention Coordination and Oversight Council within the Department of Human Services. The council will collect standardized, non-identifying data from suicide prevention programs across the state - including details like age, gender, race, LGBTQ+ status, military service, and suicide method - to analyze trends and develop reporting standards. It will also create guidelines for informational materials and serve as a central hub for sharing aggregated data with state agencies, while strictly complying with privacy laws like HIPAA. The council directly affects all suicide prevention entities (hospitals, clinics, community programs) required to report data and state agencies using the findings for policy decisions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires every public school in New Jersey to have at least one full-time school social worker employed by the local school district board. For schools with over 500 students, districts must add additional social workers in proportion to the student count. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment, applying to all schools within participating districts. It directly affects all New Jersey public school districts and their staffing requirements for student support services.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A-3753) requires crisis pregnancy centers to clearly disclose two key facts in English and Spanish: (1) that they are not licensed health care facilities, and (2) whether they employ a physician to supervise pregnancy-related services on-site. Centers must display this information conspicuously in waiting areas, exam rooms, and during client consultations, and include it in all advertisements (online, print, radio, etc.). Violations could trigger penalties under New Jersey's Consumer Fraud Act. The bill applies to all crisis pregnancy centers operating in New Jersey that provide non-medical pregnancy counseling and referrals.