Asm. Joe Danielsen

Maddy summaryThis bill requires every public school building in a New Jersey school district to have at least one certified school nurse. Currently, districts must employ certified school nurses but are not required to have one at each building. The bill allows districts to supplement certified nurses with non-certified nurses, provided the non-certified nurses work in the same building or school complex. It maintains existing rules for medically fragile students, requiring specialized care from approved providers chosen by parents without increasing district costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority (HESAA) to stop interest from accruing on New Jersey College Loans to Assist State Students (NJCLASS) loans for borrowers approved for deferment or forbearance due to temporary disability, unemployment, or financial hardship between March 9 and September 9, 2020. It directly affects NJCLASS borrowers who qualify for these hardship-based payment pauses during that specific 6-month period. The key provision suspends interest accrual during approved deferment or forbearance periods, which currently continues under existing rules. This change applies only to loans processed within that defined timeframe.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require public agencies in New Jersey to redact (remove) and not disclose the home addresses of elected officials, candidates for public office, and their immediate family members from government records, except for specific circumstances. To implement this, the bill establishes an Office of Information Privacy within the Department of Community Affairs to process and approve requests for address redaction. Elected officials and candidates would need to submit a request through a secure portal to the Office of Information Privacy, and public agencies would be required to redact addresses from records within 30 days of approval. The home address would remain available to the New Jersey Election Law Enforcement Commission for residency verification purposes, but would otherwise be kept confidential from public view.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a $250 deduction from gross income for New Jersey taxpayers who serve the entire tax year on active duty with the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, or Coast Guard). It directly affects active-duty military members residing in New Jersey who maintain full-time service status for the whole year. The deduction reduces their taxable income, potentially lowering their New Jersey Gross Income Tax liability. The provision applies to taxable years starting January 1 following the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that if a first responder (such as an EMT, police officer, or emergency medical technician) administers an opioid antidote (like naloxone) during an overdose and has contact with the person's bodily fluids (e.g., via needle exposure), they may request the local public health officer to seek voluntary testing for HIV, hepatitis, and other bloodborne diseases. If the person refuses consent within 24 hours, the public health officer can seek a court order for mandatory testing, which must be granted if the court finds a risk of disease transmission. Test results are confidential, shared only with the tested person and the requesting responder, and cannot be used for law enforcement or civil cases. The person tested may be ordered to reimburse the state for testing costs, but healthcare providers performing tests under this law are protected from liability.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3171) requires the New Jersey Veterans' Memorial Homes in Paramus and Menlo Park to convert at least one section in each facility to single-occupancy rooms and upgrade their heating, ventilation, and air conditioning systems to infection control standards. The Adjutant General may also require additional modifications like negative pressure ventilation for infectious disease control. Funding will come first from federal block grants (including American Rescue Plan Act funds) allocated to the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, with state General Fund money covering shortfalls if needed. The changes directly affect veterans residing at these two specific facilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 16-member Task Force on Student Mental Health to examine public school programs addressing student mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and trauma. The task force includes education officials, school staff (teachers, counselors, psychologists), parents, and appointed experts to study how schools identify mental health needs, evaluate counseling services, link mental health to school safety, determine funding requirements, and review successful programs from other states. The task force must issue a final report with recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within one year of organizing, after which it will expire. The bill directly affects all public school students in New Jersey by aiming to improve access to mental health care programs through evidence-based policy recommendations.

Maddy summaryThe "Transparency in Government Act" (A2617) requires New Jersey to create a free, searchable public website displaying state financial data. It mandates the State Treasurer to include annual records of state agency spending (salaries, vendor payments, local aid), revenues (taxes, fees, grants), and bonded debt (principal, interest, repayment sources) starting from fiscal year 2000. Data must be updated within 45 days after each fiscal year ends and cannot be removed, while protecting private/confidential information. The website will be maintained with oversight from a 13-member Public Finance Transparency Committee, including state officials, agency representatives, and public members. This directly affects state agencies (which must provide data), the State Treasurer's office (which develops the site), and New Jersey residents (who gain access to financial information).

Maddy summaryNew Jersey bill A437 provides civil liability immunity to first responders who forcibly enter property during emergencies. It directly affects volunteer and paid emergency personnel - including firefighters, EMTs, paramedics, hospital staff, and college police officers - when they enter homes, businesses, or structures without permission. The immunity applies only if responders have a good faith belief entry is needed for emergency medical care or to prevent imminent harm, and no property occupant responds to requests within a reasonable time. This protection does not cover willful or wanton acts and does not apply to vehicle operation during emergency services.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the Office of State Long-Term Care Ombudsman's jurisdiction to cover all long-term care facility residents, not just elderly residents as previously defined. It appropriates $1 million total - $700,000 for additional staff, vehicles, and operational expenses, and $300,000 for a statewide advertising campaign to promote the Volunteer Advocate program. The bill updates statutory language to remove outdated references to "patients" and "clients" and revises reporting requirements for investigations to better protect residents' rights. This legislation directly affects long-term care facilities, their residents, and the ombudsman's office, which will now have broader authority to investigate complaints and advocate for residents' welfare.