Asm. Yvonne Lopez

Maddy summaryBill A4163 requires health insurers in New Jersey to cover biomarker testing for diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of diseases when supported by medical evidence such as FDA approvals, drug labels, or clinical guidelines. The bill applies to all health insurance plans including individual, group, Medicaid, and health maintenance organization contracts. Insurers must provide coverage without causing unnecessary disruption (like multiple biopsies) and must make prior authorization decisions within 24 hours for urgent requests or 72 hours for non-urgent requests. This ensures patients can access precision medical testing that's clinically supported without excessive administrative barriers.

Maddy summaryAJR 166 is a New Jersey legislative resolution urging the U.S. Congress to advance the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino. Introduced by Assembly members Rodriguez, Collazos-Gill, and Quijano, it calls for Congress to reinstate a 2008 commission and establish the museum as part of the Smithsonian Institution on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., while directing copies to federal leaders and New Jersey's congressional delegation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Business Growth Protection Act" to regulate temporary help service firms and protect temporary laborers in New Jersey. It requires temporary help service firms to obtain certification from the Division of Consumer Affairs, maintain detailed records of temporary labor assignments, and provide itemized wage statements showing the third party client's entry-level pay rate for similar positions. The law mandates that temporary laborers receive at least the third party client's entry-level wage rate for comparable work, revises surety bond requirements to be based on firm revenue (minimum $50,000, maximum $200,000), and provides protections against retaliation for workers exercising their rights. Violations may result in civil penalties up to $5,000 per violation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Corrections (DOC) to publicly report quarterly data on suicide and self-harm incidents involving inmates housed in Restorative Housing Units (RHUs). RHUs are disciplinary housing units where inmates are separated from the general prison population. The reports must include statistics on these incidents by demographic factors (age, sex, ethnicity, mental illness) and facility, without revealing personal identifiers. The DOC must publish these reports on its official website starting after the bill takes effect. This applies specifically to incidents occurring in RHUs, not general prison settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5530) requires New Jersey's Department of Corrections (DOC) to establish minimum habitability standards for all prison housing units, including Restorative Housing Units (RHUs). The standards must meet or exceed those set by the American Correctional Association. The legislation responds directly to documented issues in RHUs, such as sewage spills, poor sanitation, and inadequate plumbing at Northern State Prison, as noted in a 2024 Corrections Ombudsperson report. The DOC must adopt implementing rules under state administrative procedures, with the law taking effect 90 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA) and South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) to create a program exempting certain disabled veterans from E-ZPass tolls. It directly affects disabled veterans who: 1) have a New Jersey-issued "Disabled Vet" license plate (per existing law), 2) own/lease a NJ-registered vehicle with that plate, and 3) maintain an active E-ZPass account. To qualify, veterans must first obtain the "Disabled Vet" license plate approval from the Motor Vehicle Commission before applying for the toll exemption. The authorities must approve all applications from veterans possessing the approved license plate.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's "Equitable Drug Pricing and Patient Access Act," requiring Medicaid to pay pharmacies at least the national average drug cost plus a $10.92 dispensing fee for all covered prescriptions, applying to both direct Medicaid services and managed care plans. It mandates that Medicaid managed care plans must allow patients to choose any participating pharmacy without restrictions and prohibit plans from unfairly blocking pharmacies from joining under unequal terms. The bill also requires the State Auditor to audit Medicaid drug spending flows from managed care organizations to pharmacies to identify potential state savings. These provisions address rising Medicaid prescription costs, which increased by $700 million (3.3%) from $2.1 billion in FY 2019 to $2.8 billion in FY 2024.

Maddy summaryS 3587 upgrades retail theft offenses in New Jersey, including elevating "leader of organized retail theft enterprise" to a first-degree crime punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The bill creates a new offense for "fostering the sale of stolen property" (including online sales), which is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail. It establishes a retail theft unit within the Department of Law and Public Safety to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft, appropriating $1 million for this purpose. The bill also includes new requirements for gift card sales to prevent fraud, such as mandatory notices for retailers and packaging restrictions for both open- and closed-loop gift cards.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey State Police to verify whether a person has an unprocessed expungement order before releasing their criminal history background check. If an expungement order exists but hasn't been reflected in the system, the State Bureau of Identification must update the record to show the expungement prior to dissemination. This ensures individuals with court-ordered expungements are not incorrectly listed as having criminal records. The bill directly affects people seeking background checks for employment, licensing, or volunteer opportunities who have had expungement orders granted but not yet processed by the State Police.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Community Affairs to establish maximum development costs per housing unit for projects receiving funding from the New Jersey Affordable Housing Trust Fund. The cost standards must match those used for the federal Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program. Developers of affordable housing projects using these trust fund dollars will be subject to these cost limits, which the commissioner must implement through rules within five months of the bill's enactment. The standards will apply to all new funding commitments made six months after the bill becomes law.