Asm. Mitchelle Drulis

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $34 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to fund farmland preservation. It provides counties with base grants ($500,000-$1 million) and eligibility for competitive grants (up to $7.5 million per county) to cover up to 80% of costs for acquiring development easements - conservation agreements that permanently protect farmland from development. The funds target specific counties and municipalities approved for farmland preservation projects under existing state law. The bill redirects existing constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues (approved by voters in 2014) to the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, with no new tax revenue required.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Board of Medical Examiners to allow physicians to count one optional continuing medical education (CME) credit toward their license renewal for training on menopause. The training covers menopause's physiological and psychological aspects, treatments, related health risks (like heart health and osteoporosis), and communication strategies. Physicians who complete this training would earn a credit that counts toward their required 100 CME hours for license renewal. The bill defines menopause as the natural process where a woman permanently stops having menstrual periods after 12 months without one. It does not mandate the training but offers it as an optional credit.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires municipal construction agencies to conduct building inspections within a 2.5-hour time window and provide 24-hour advance notice to property owners. If agencies fail to meet these requirements, owners can file complaints online with the Department of Community Affairs, which would investigate and potentially impose penalties. The bill aims to improve inspection timeliness for construction projects, directly affecting property owners, contractors, and local building departments. Agencies must establish processes to meet these requirements or face potential penalties for repeated failures in meeting inspection deadlines.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to create an automated online platform (the "State Smart Solar Permitting Platform") to speed up approval of residential solar energy system installations. It directly affects homeowners, solar installers, and local governments by replacing slow manual permitting with instant digital reviews. The platform must automatically check code compliance, issue permits within minutes, allow 24/7 applications, and support electronic signatures - handling 75% of standard residential systems. Local agencies must adopt the platform or an equivalent alternative within 18 months, with penalties for non-compliance to fund low-income energy assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows winery license holders who produce up to 250,000 gallons of wine annually to sell their wine to other wineries in New Jersey for sale on the buyer's premises, or to sell wine to wineries outside New Jersey in accordance with those states' laws. It establishes a new "supplemental wine production facility sublicense" that permits winery license holders to produce wine at a separate facility they own or lease, with wine sold to other wineries counting toward the buyer's production volume but not the seller's. The bill requires that at least 50% of a winery's annual wine sales must be produced on its own premises. Winery license holders with this sublicense pay a $750 fee and cannot sell wine directly to consumers at the supplemental facility. This change provides wineries with more flexibility in production and distribution while maintaining certain local production requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the hazelnut as New Jersey's official state nut. It recognizes Rutgers University's research in developing blight-resistant hazelnut varieties (named "Raritan," "Somerset," "Monmouth," and "Hunterdon") that enable commercial growing in New Jersey, where over 30 growers have planted more than 100 acres. The designation is symbolic - no new policies, funding, or regulations are created. It does not directly affect any residents, businesses, or agricultural practices, as it solely establishes a state symbol.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires judges and law enforcement officers in New Jersey to receive training on coercive control as part of their existing domestic violence education. It affects municipal and Superior Court judges handling domestic violence cases, judicial personnel, and all law enforcement officers, mandating initial training within 90 days of appointment or transfer and annual in-service training. The training must cover recognizing indicators of coercive control - defined as patterns like isolating victims, monitoring movements, or threatening harm - and other key topics such as trauma-informed approaches and safety planning. The bill amends current law to update training curricula without creating new penalties or funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates the statewide high school graduation proficiency test requirement in New Jersey. It removes the test from graduation standards, so students no longer need to pass it to receive a diploma, and school districts no longer need to administer it. The bill also amends school district report cards to remove test results and eliminates the requirement for out-of-school youth to pass the test for a State endorsed diploma. This directly affects all New Jersey high school students, school districts, and out-of-school youth seeking diplomas by changing graduation requirements from a standardized test to local standards developed by school boards.

Maddy summaryBill A6176 would allow New Jersey school districts to enroll more nonresident children without requiring tuition payments by expanding the existing list of qualifying categories. The bill amends P.L.2007, c.260 and N.J.S.18A:38-3 to include additional nonresident children who currently might face tuition costs for public school enrollment. This change directly affects nonresident families seeking to enroll children in district schools and school districts that would no longer charge tuition for these students. The policy shift aims to broaden access to public education for nonresident children under state law without specifying new categories.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $13.64 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to fund conservation and recreation projects through New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection. The funds will be distributed as grants to nonprofit organizations for open space acquisition ($8.35 million), park development ($2.13 million), and stewardship activities ($1.48 million), plus $1 million for a new planning grant program to help nonprofits prepare conservation plans. The grants support land conservation and recreation initiatives across multiple counties and municipalities throughout New Jersey. All funding decisions require approval from the Joint Budget Oversight Committee, and the program is funded from revenues specifically dedicated to open space preservation under New Jersey law.