Asm. Roy Freiman

Maddy summaryThis bill provides mortgage payment relief and foreclosure protection for New Jersey homeowners who received federal disaster assistance after Hurricane Ida damaged their primary residence in September 2021. It requires mortgage servicers to grant a one-year payment pause (forbearance) without fees, penalties, or credit reporting, retroactive to payments missed since September 1, 2021. Homeowners must meet income limits (≤150% of area median income) and asset thresholds (less than six months of income in bank accounts), and submit a written request. The relief ends either after one year or July 1, 2024, whichever comes first, and does not apply to federally-backed loans like FHA or VA mortgages.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 149) amends the New Jersey General Assembly Rules to require all members to be formally addressed as "State Representative" instead of "Assemblyman" or "Assemblywoman." It adds Rule 25:1 stating: "All members of the General Assembly shall be addressed, and referred to, as State Representative." The resolution aims to adopt a gender-neutral title, aligning with the state constitution's use of "members" and the practice of 45 other states. This change affects all current and future General Assembly members in formal communications and records.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development to temporarily appoint up to three additional members to the Board of Review, which handles unemployment benefit appeals. Appointments can be made through interim roles for State employees (who keep their primary jobs) or intermittent roles for non-State employees. If three additional members are appointed, the Board's membership increases to six, requiring the commissioner to form two independent panels from these six members to process appeals, with flexibility to reassign members as needed for operational efficiency. This change aims to improve the Board's capacity to manage appeal volumes without altering the Board's core responsibilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's Emergency Medical Technician (EMT) Training Fund reimbursement rules. It allows private agencies training volunteer EMTs (including for EMT-A, EMT-D, and epinephrine auto-injector certification) to be reimbursed directly, prioritizing EMT-A certification first. Volunteer EMTs must work at least one service call monthly for three years to maintain "good standing," or their ambulance squad may have to repay the fund if they stop volunteering. The bill clarifies that reimbursement eligibility doesn't depend on whether the volunteer's squad receives payment for services.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4682) requires health insurance companies in New Jersey to cover nonopioid prescription drugs for acute pain on equal terms with opioid drugs when prescribed by a doctor. It prohibits insurers from denying coverage for nonopioid drugs in favor of opioids or requiring patients to try opioids first. For insurers with drug formularies (coverage lists), nonopioid pain medications approved by the FDA cannot face stricter rules, higher costs, or more barriers than opioid alternatives. The law applies to all private insurance plans, state employee health plans, school employee plans, and Medicaid, effective January 1, 2026. It does not prevent insurers from favoring one opioid over another or one nonopioid over another.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how health insurers in New Jersey calculate their minimum loss ratio requirements for individual and small employer health plans. It requires insurers to use a three-year rolling average instead of annual calculations and expands the numerator to include both claims paid and spending on quality improvement initiatives. Insurers must exclude new state or federal taxes from premium calculations when determining if they meet the 80% minimum loss ratio threshold. These changes apply to all health insurance carriers offering plans in these markets, directly affecting how they report and adjust premiums to comply with consumer protection rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow New Jersey school districts without a board of school estimate to request additional funding for the next school year through a special election, rather than only at the annual school election. Currently, districts can only request additional funds for the current budget year at the annual election. Under this bill, districts could propose raising taxes for the following year at special elections held in January, March, September, or December, with proposals needing to specify how funds would be used and whether approval would create a permanent tax increase. Districts could only submit one such proposal per school year, and this would not prevent them from also voting on capital projects at the same election.

Maddy summaryS 1017 (now P.L.2024, c.59) requires New Jersey law enforcement agencies to notify sexual assault victims about key developments in their criminal cases, specifically regarding DNA evidence. Victims have the right to be informed whether DNA from the assault was collected, entered into forensic databases, or matched to a suspect’s DNA (with exceptions if disclosure would compromise an ongoing investigation). Victims can request written or email updates about evidence processing status, and agencies must provide this information in a timely manner upon request. This law directly affects sexual assault victims in New Jersey by ensuring they receive specific, actionable updates about their case evidence under the state’s crime victim rights framework.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's "Design Professional Self-Certification Act" (A4360, now law as P.L.2024, c.58) creates a program allowing licensed architects and professional engineers to self-certify that certain construction projects comply with building codes. It directly affects qualified design professionals who can now submit construction permit applications with self-certification forms for eligible projects (like renovations under specific size limits for residential or commercial buildings), bypassing full code reviews by local agencies. Local building departments must then conduct a simple "supervisory check" to confirm all required documents are present and issue permits - same as before - within 1-5 days. This applies only to projects not excluded (e.g., structural alterations requiring special inspections, new kitchens, or electrical upgrades over 400 amps), with the Department of Community Affairs setting qualification rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows members of New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS) to purchase retirement credit for prior service as a class two special law enforcement officer with a public employer in the state. To qualify, the member must have worked in that role and then started a PFRS-covered position within 120 days of ending that service. Members can purchase up to 10 years of credit by paying the cost, calculated based on their salary and an actuarial factor, with current members having one year from the bill's effective date to apply. This change aligns the process for purchasing such credit with existing rules for federal or military service.