Asm. Roy Freiman

Maddy summaryS 3879 amends the lists of environmental infrastructure projects eligible for loans from the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank for FY2025. The bill updates the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2025 Clean Water Project Eligibility List" (152 projects) and the "Storm Sandy and State Fiscal Year 2025 Drinking Water Project Eligibility List" (67 projects) by adding new projects, removing some projects, and adjusting loan amounts for certain projects. This affects local governments, public water utilities, and other project sponsors seeking funding for clean water and drinking water infrastructure improvements. The bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to provide loans for a total of 219 eligible projects for FY2025, with a total authorized loan amount of $2.47 billion (down from $2.73 billion).

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $18,518,738 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax revenues to fund historic preservation projects through the New Jersey Historic Trust. The funds will support 43 capital preservation projects ($15.03 million total) including historic buildings and landmarks like fire stations and lighthouses, 34 historic site management projects ($1.47 million total) for preservation planning and heritage tourism, $100,000 for easement purchases, and $1.92 million for administrative costs. All projects must be listed or eligible for listing in the New Jersey and National Register of Historic Places, and recipients must provide matching funds. The funding comes from revenues constitutionally dedicated to historic preservation under the Preserve New Jersey Act, with changes to projects requiring Joint Budget Oversight Committee approval.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Secretary of State to mail a standardized "State Voters' Guide" to every registered voter's home at least 45 days before statewide elections. The guide must include election information, candidate statements (with word limits), explanations of public questions, and voter rights details, while ensuring clarity on ballot measures. County clerks may also create and distribute local voter guides for county-level elections, following the same format. The bill mandates electronic access to these guides online and requires special mailing to military or overseas voters who request them. It also prohibits misleading campaign materials that mimic official guides, imposing penalties for violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey health insurance carriers offering managed care plans to ensure consumers have reasonable and timely access to specific physician specialists at in-network hospitals and facilities. It directly affects insurance companies and their members by mandating new regulations for network adequacy, specifically covering anesthesiologists, radiologists, pathologists, emergency medicine physicians, and their supervisory services. The key mechanism is requiring the Commissioner of Banking and Insurance to adopt rules establishing these access standards as part of network adequacy requirements. The policy change focuses on improving access to critical specialty care within existing insurance networks.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to create an internet-based tracking system for rape kits (also called sexual assault forensic evidence kits). The system will allow victims, law enforcement officers, healthcare providers, and labs to monitor a kit's journey from collection at a medical facility through testing and final disposal. It mandates the Attorney General to issue guidelines for this tracking system, ensuring transparency in the chain of custody. The law, which became effective in January 2025, directly affects victims of sexual assault, healthcare facilities, law enforcement, and forensic labs handling these kits.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in New Jersey to be enrolled in the Workers Compensation Judges Part of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) instead of the current Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP). ALJs currently enrolled in DCRP would be transferred to the Workers Compensation and Administrative Law Judges Part of PERS within 90 days of the bill's effective date, with their retirement accounts and service credit transferred as well. The State General Fund would cover the unfunded liability for benefits related to this transfer. This change would bring ALJs under the same retirement system as Workers Compensation Judges, who have been in this specific PERS part since 2001.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection to prioritize projects that include or allow for flood mitigation when funding land acquisition for recreation and conservation (known as "Blue Acres" projects) and certain environmental infrastructure projects. It mandates that these projects receive additional priority points in the ranking system used to determine which projects get funded through the Green Acres Program and environmental infrastructure programs. The change affects local governments, nonprofit organizations, and others applying for DEP funding for projects that protect against flooding while serving recreation, conservation, or infrastructure needs. The bill implements this by amending existing laws to require the DEP to factor flood mitigation into its evaluation criteria for funding applications.

Maddy summaryACR 138 is a ceremonial resolution honoring the 40th anniversary of New Jersey's Jersey Fresh program, a state-sponsored initiative established in 1984 to promote locally grown produce. The resolution recognizes the program's role in supporting New Jersey farms, increasing consumer awareness of seasonal produce, and serving as a national model for agricultural branding. It does not create new laws or policies but formally commends the program's success in connecting consumers with locally harvested fruits and vegetables across all 21 counties. The resolution directs copies to the New Jersey Department of Agriculture and the State Board of Agriculture for their records.

Maddy summaryAJR 89 is a symbolic joint resolution passed by the New Jersey legislature that unconditionally condemns all forms of hate, hate-based violence, and bias crimes targeting individuals based on race, religion, ethnicity, disability, age, marital status, gender, or sexual orientation. It does not create new laws or allocate funds but urges the Governor and Attorney General to continue existing efforts like supporting victims, improving hate crime reporting, enhancing security at vulnerable sites, and researching solutions. The resolution emphasizes New Jersey’s commitment to protecting citizens from hatred and promoting an inclusive community, reflecting the state’s ongoing stance against bias-motivated incidents. As a procedural resolution, it has no direct legal effect on individuals or policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey county and municipal clerks to rotate the order of candidate names on primary election ballots using a specific algorithm. It directly affects all candidates running in primary elections by ensuring each candidate appears equally often in every position (first, second, etc.) across the ballot before voters. The rotation system assigns ballot orders based on election district population or randomly presents rotated ballots during voting, preventing any candidate from gaining an unfair advantage due to ballot placement. Clerks must publicly report rotation totals and follow uniform guidelines developed by the Secretary of State within 30 days. The goal is to create a neutral ballot order that treats all candidates equally.