Asm. Craig Coughlin

Maddy summaryThis bill creates two new New Jersey Transit (NJT) programs. The "NJpass Program" provides discounted group fares for eligible organizations (like workforce training providers, schools, government agencies, and social service groups) when purchasing transit passes for their employees or clients. The "GO NJ Transit Card Program" establishes a reloadable card system where individuals can load money (minimum $10) for any NJT service, with funds never expiring. NJT must publish eligibility details, enter contracts with qualifying organizations, and submit annual reports on program effectiveness to the Governor and Legislature. The bill is pending and would take effect after passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill would provide $615,000 in additional state funding to the NJ 2-1-1 Partnership, a statewide service that connects residents to human services like food assistance, housing support, and mental health resources through a free 24/7 phone hotline. The funds would be allocated within the Department of Human Services' budget specifically for the Partnership's ongoing operational costs to maintain its 2-1-1 service. Since 2002, the NJ 2-1-1 Partnership has been the sole provider of New Jersey's 2-1-1 dialing code, serving all residents statewide. This is a routine budgetary measure to sustain an existing community resource, not a new policy.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises the annual audit process for New Jersey school districts, directly affecting school boards, public school accountants, and the Commissioner of Education. It extends the deadline for completing annual audits for the 2024-2025 school year (similar to prior extensions for 2022-2023 and 2023-2024), requiring school districts to make financial records available by July 1 annually. The bill grants the Commissioner flexibility to allow delayed submissions when districts face hardship due to missing information from state, federal, or other entities, permitting partial audits with plans to update later. It also directs the Commissioner to evaluate process improvements for earlier data collection within two years.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) rules to allow temporary state employees at psychiatric hospitals or correctional facilities to qualify for accidental disability benefits. It specifically covers injuries sustained after January 2003 while working temporarily at these facilities (before becoming a PERS member), making such injuries eligible for PERS benefits once the employee gains membership. The key change deems these pre-membership injuries as occurring "during membership" if the employee joins PERS without interruption in the same job. This expands eligibility beyond current rules, which only provided workers' compensation for such injuries before PERS membership.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's State Board of Education to create three new teaching certifications: 1) A "Students with Disabilities Preschool through Grade 12" endorsement (excluding blind/visually impaired or deaf/hard of hearing students), allowing teachers to instruct all students with disabilities across all grade levels without separate endorsements. 2) A "Kindergarten through Grade 8" endorsement enabling teachers to instruct grades K-6 and specialty subjects in grades 7-8. 3) A "Bilingual and Bicultural Preschool through Grade 12" endorsement requiring language proficiency and coursework, replacing current requirements that needed separate subject/grade endorsements. These changes primarily affect current and prospective teachers seeking certification in special education, elementary/middle school, and bilingual education, streamlining their qualifications for New Jersey public schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides an additional $1.5 million in state funding to New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) for staffing and enforcement activities. The funds specifically support the Commission's work enforcing the state's campaign finance laws, including the Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act (C.19:44A-1 et seq.). The appropriation directly increases ELEC's budget to maintain sufficient staff for monitoring campaign disclosures and investigating violations. This is a funding measure, not a policy change, aimed at strengthening the Commission's operational capacity.

Maddy summaryBill A 3870 establishes a matching grant program requiring New Jersey's Commissioner of Education to provide school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects with 50% matching funds from their eligible American Rescue Plan Act (ARP) funds. It directly affects schools demonstrating increased learning loss (based on state assessment data showing more students in "did not meet expectations" categories compared to 2018-19) who use ARP funds to expand instructional time. Key provisions include funding evidence-based interventions like after-school programs, summer academies, high-dosage tutoring, staff hiring, and career pathways to address pandemic-related learning gaps. Grants are capped at $200 million total, with schools required to submit detailed applications showing data-driven needs, program effectiveness, and subgroup impacts. The program mandates annual reporting on student achievement outcomes by the Commissioner.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's criminal mischief statute (N.J.S.2C:17-3) to specifically criminalize knowingly damaging, interfering with, or tampering with historic places or sites. It defines "historic place or site" as structures approved for the New Jersey Register of Historic Places, identified in local master plans as historically significant, or officially recognized by the State Agriculture Development Committee. Damaging such sites becomes a third-degree crime, punishable by up to five years in prison, a $15,000 fine, or both. The law directly affects individuals who intentionally harm protected historic properties, including buildings, monuments, or structures meeting the defined criteria.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Jersey's Catastrophic Illness in Children Relief Fund program by excluding up to $15,000 in community donations from a parent's or legal guardian's income when determining eligibility. The excluded donations must support "family living expenses" like travel, lodging, meals, and other costs directly tied to a child's catastrophic illness care. It ensures families receiving community fundraising aid for these specific expenses won't be disqualified from the program due to those funds. Current law did not allow such income exclusions, making this a direct policy change to support affected families.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey state agencies (except the Lottery) with .com, .org, or .net websites to test selling online ads on their sites for up to three years. Agencies must follow strict rules: ads cannot promote tobacco, alcohol, politics, or conflict with their mission, and must include a disclaimer stating the state doesn’t endorse them. Revenue from ads goes to the state fund, with 10% allocated for agency innovation. Agencies must report on the pilot’s effectiveness after three years, including costs and earnings.