Asm. Craig Coughlin

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new calculation method for retirement costs at New Jersey's public colleges and universities (like Rutgers and NJIT), requiring the state to set a separate "fringe benefit rate" reflecting actual retirement expenses. It also requires public institutions to pay for health insurance coverage for part-time faculty (including adjuncts and lecturers) who taught at least 24 credits in the prior fiscal year and 12 credits in the current year, making them eligible for benefits as if they were full-time. Employers must cover the full cost of health plans, shifting this responsibility from part-time faculty who meet the teaching credit thresholds. The bill aims to standardize retirement cost accounting and expand health coverage access for qualifying part-time educators.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 73) affirms New Jersey's support for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which provides food assistance to vulnerable residents. It condemns federal budget proposals that would cut $300 billion in food aid funding over ten years - primarily impacting SNAP - and urges the U.S. Senate to reject these cuts. The resolution highlights that nearly 850,000 New Jersey residents (9% of the population), including children, seniors, veterans, and the disabled, rely on SNAP to meet basic food needs. It emphasizes that reducing SNAP access would harm the state’s most vulnerable populations, though it does not create new policy changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3159) prohibits New Jersey state agencies from granting new economic development subsidies to businesses that previously received a loan-based subsidy but have not paid the principal and interest on that loan for more than 24 months. It directly affects businesses that received prior state loan or loan guarantee subsidies but are significantly behind on repayments. The key change amends existing law by replacing the requirement of "default" with a specific 24-month overdue threshold for loan payments. This policy adjustment applies to subsidies valued at over $25,000 intended to stimulate economic development. The bill does not alter current eligibility rules for businesses not in this overdue repayment category.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts New Jersey disabled veterans from admission fees at state parks and forests and removes fees for motor vehicle access to park beaches for fishing. It specifically covers veterans honorably discharged with a service-connected disability (any degree) verified by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Current law already provided free entry to seniors (62+), totally disabled residents, and National Guard members with training completion, but did not include disabled veterans for beach access fees. The bill extends both free entry and free beach access to all qualifying disabled veterans, regardless of disability severity.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3873) removes the requirement for local government officers in New Jersey to disclose the specific address of their home or secondary residence on annual financial disclosure statements. Instead, officers must provide only a brief description including the county and municipality where the residence is located. The change applies to disclosures for the officer's home or secondary residence where they or their immediate family live, while other disclosure requirements (like income sources, business interests, and property details) remain unchanged. This affects all local government officers required to file financial disclosure statements under New Jersey law.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Food Desert Elimination Act" to incentivize supermarkets and grocery stores (18,000+ sq ft) to open in designated "food desert communities" - areas with limited access to fresh food, identified using USDA and CDC data. It provides property tax-based tax credits to businesses that open their *first* supermarket or grocery store in a designated food desert community, covering the full property tax assessed by the municipality for three years after opening. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will designate up to 75 initial food desert communities, prioritizing areas with high poverty and limited healthy food access. This directly affects low-income residents in these communities by aiming to improve access to nutritious food through new retail options.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill provides a 10% tax credit for businesses that invest in manufacturing equipment, renovate or expand facilities, or hire and train new employees within designated Smart Growth Areas. It directly affects manufacturers operating in specific growth zones, such as urban enterprise zones or transit villages, by reducing their corporation business tax liability. The credit covers 10% of costs for new equipment, facility improvements, or hiring/training (with employees retained for 365 days), but cannot exceed 50% of the tax owed. Unused credits may be carried forward for up to seven years. The bill prohibits using this credit alongside other existing tax credits for the same expenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurers, the State Health Benefits Program (SHBP), and the State Employees Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) to cover specific mammogram screenings. It mandates one baseline mammogram for women aged 35 and annual screenings for women 35 and older, while also requiring coverage for women under 35 with breast cancer risk factors (like family history) as determined by their provider. Additional tests like ultrasounds or MRIs are covered if needed due to dense breast tissue, abnormal results, or other risk factors. The law applies to all health insurance plans in New Jersey, ensuring these screenings are covered without additional out-of-pocket costs for eligible individuals.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill expands the crime of bias intimidation to cover more protected characteristics like gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, and increases penalties for such offenses. It raises the severity of bias intimidation to one degree higher than the underlying crime (e.g., making a fourth-degree offense a third-degree crime), adds mandatory sentencing for first-degree cases, and requires courts to impose separate sentences for bias intimidation and the underlying offense. Perpetrators convicted of bias intimidation must also complete sensitivity training, counseling, or pay compensation to victim support programs. Victims of bias-motivated crimes benefit from new financial penalties ($250-$2,000 per offense) collected by the state and directed to community services. The law applies to anyone committing crimes like assault or harassment with bias motivation, directly affecting both offenders and victims in hate crime cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes creating a new corporate status called "Garden State Corporation" for manufacturing businesses operating primarily in New Jersey. It requires these corporations to include half of their board members elected by employees working in New Jersey facilities, giving workers equal voting rights and access to company records. The bill also offers significant tax credits: up to 60% of certain taxes for the first five years if the company qualifies as both a Garden State Corporation and a benefit corporation, decreasing over time. This would directly affect eligible New Jersey manufacturing companies that choose to adopt this corporate structure, with the tax benefits applying over nine years. The bill is currently pending before the Assembly Commerce Committee.