Asm. Joe Danielsen

Maddy summaryThis bill allows veterans residing in New Jersey's state-run veterans' residential facilities (including memorial homes and Veterans Haven facilities) to have dogs certified as either service animals or emotional support animals. It permits these animals without requiring federal-level service animal training standards for emotional support animals, which federal VA policy does not cover. Facilities must verify documentation confirming the animal's training, task description, and current rabies/core vaccinations (distemper, parvovirus, adenovirus-2). Other animals are prohibited unless for law enforcement or specific VA research purposes, and facilities may restrict or remove animals only for safety reasons like aggression or health risks.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's nursing home reporting requirements, requiring more detailed financial disclosures and ownership structure information. Nursing homes, applicants for ownership transfers, and third-party entities managing nursing homes must now provide audited consolidated financial statements and organizational charts showing parent companies, subsidiaries, and related parties providing services valued at $200,000 or more annually. The bill lowers the threshold for disclosing ownership interests from 10% to 5% and mandates that nursing homes post this information on their websites. It also removes the previous requirement for nursing homes to post Medicare/Medicaid cost reports, instead requiring them to post the new financial statements.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates practice restrictions for advanced practice nurses (APNs) in New Jersey, allowing them to practice to the full extent of their training without requiring physician supervision or joint protocols. APNs with more than 24 months or 2,400 hours of experience can practice independently, while those with less experience must maintain a joint protocol with a physician for prescribing medications. The bill updates requirements for prescribing medications (including pharmacology continuing education), authorizing medical cannabis, and practicing anesthesia, and repeals sections of law requiring physician collaboration. These changes aim to improve healthcare access, particularly in underserved areas, by expanding the scope of practice for APNs who are already trained to provide primary and specialty care. The bill also modifies documentation requirements so that APNs can use their own signatures instead of requiring physician endorsements.

Maddy summaryThis bill clarifies that hunters with a valid handgun permit (under N.J.S.2C:58-4) or who are authorized to carry handguns generally (under N.J.S.2C:39-6) may carry those handguns while hunting. It explicitly permits carrying but prohibits using handguns to hunt any game, maintaining existing restrictions on firearm types for hunting. The bill amends New Jersey's hunting statutes (R.S.23:4-44, -12, and -13) to add this exception, aligning with recent changes to handgun permit laws following the *New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen* Supreme Court decision. It directly affects licensed hunters who carry handguns for personal protection during hunting activities.