Asm. Annette Quijano

Maddy summaryThis bill extends military service credit for school district compensation purposes to non-teaching employees hired after its effective date. Similar to teaching staff, eligible non-certificated employees (e.g., administrative or support staff) who served in active military duty since 1940 will receive equivalent employment credit for pay adjustments, but no more than four increments. It applies only to new hires and does not alter existing benefit limits for teaching staff under current law.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's Household Water Assistance Program, providing financial help to low-income households struggling to pay water, sewer, and stormwater bills. It directly affects households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, those receiving specific benefits like SNAP or veterans' payments, or those facing temporary hardship (e.g., job loss, medical costs). Key provisions include direct bill assistance, debt relief for past-due payments, prevention of service disconnections, and support for water efficiency repairs. The program appropriates $75 million to cover these services, aiming to make water costs affordable while ensuring access to safe water.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases accidental death benefits for surviving spouses and children of law enforcement officers, correction officers, and firefighters in New Jersey's public retirement systems. It redefines "child" to include unmarried children under 24 enrolled full-time in college (12+ credits/semester), in addition to those under 18 or disabled, provided the death occurred during duty. The changes clarify eligibility for beneficiaries, including domestic partners for surviving spouses under certain conditions. The bill directly affects families of these public safety workers who die accidentally in the line of duty.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill replaces all references to "alien" and "illegal alien" in state laws with "foreign national" and "undocumented foreign national," respectively. It directly affects state statutes covering inheritance, estates, and lottery prize distributions, as seen in amended sections like N.J.S.3B:5-12 and the lottery assignment rules. The key mechanism is a simple terminology update across all state laws and a prohibition on executive branch agencies using the outdated terms. The bill makes no new policy changes - it only updates language to align with current terminology. It is currently pending in the Assembly State and Local Government Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates and permanently preserves the 21.5-acre Caven Point Peninsula in Liberty State Park (Jersey City, Hudson County) as natural habitat. It specifically protects the area's estuarine ecosystem, critical bird breeding habitat, and urban environmental education resource, overriding prior laws that might conflict with this designation. The bill applies directly to the land parcel identified on Jersey City tax maps (Block 27601/27701 Lots 1, Block 24307/24306 Lot 10/7). It takes effect immediately upon enactment, ensuring the peninsula's ecological features are maintained without future development or alteration.

Maddy summaryThis bill adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as an educational resource for New Jersey state agencies, schools, and law enforcement. It defines antisemitism as hatred toward Jews, including specific examples like Holocaust denial, harmful stereotypes (e.g., conspiracy theories about Jewish control), and double standards applied to Israel. The definition is explicitly non-binding and must be used while protecting constitutional rights like free speech. New Jersey lawmakers cite the state's high rate of antisemitic incidents - including ranking third nationally in 2023 - as the basis for this measure.

Maddy summaryThis bill would create a permanent unit within New Jersey's Office of Emergency Management to specifically support residents with access and functional needs during disasters. It directly affects people with disabilities, older adults, those with limited English proficiency, transportation barriers, or financial constraints - covering roughly a quarter of New Jersey's adult population based on CDC data. The unit's core duties include assessing needs before/during/after emergencies, tracking resource availability, ensuring access to assistance, and coordinating with local emergency offices across all three regions. The unit would consist of one full-time supervisor and three full-time planners to implement these responsibilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs statewide. The 22-member commission - including state agency heads, legislative appointees, and representatives from child care organizations, schools, and advocacy groups - will assess current programs, develop statewide standards, examine funding sources, and evaluate program quality across urban, suburban, and rural districts. It must issue an interim report within one year and a final report within two years of forming, including recommendations for improving accountability and quality. The commission expires 30 days after submitting its final report, with no immediate funding or program changes enacted by this bill.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1685) reinstates automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retirement benefits paid to members of New Jersey's state-administered retirement systems, including teachers' pensions. It directly affects current and future retirees in these systems by ensuring their benefits automatically increase each year to match inflation, rather than requiring separate legislative action for each adjustment. The key mechanism is amending existing law to restore the automatic COLA provision that was previously removed, linking benefit increases directly to the Consumer Price Index. This change simplifies the process and provides predictable income growth for retirees without requiring new votes for each adjustment. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson and Speight and co-sponsored by multiple legislators.

Maddy summaryThe Safe Communities Act requires New Jersey's Attorney General to develop model policies ensuring safety and accessibility at key community locations like schools, hospitals, places of worship, shelters, and courthouses. These policies must be adopted by relevant state agencies (including education, health, and corrections departments) within 180 days of the law's enactment, with institutions required to post them visibly. The law aims to prevent residents from avoiding essential services or gatherings due to safety concerns, focusing on maintaining open access to public services and religious spaces. It applies directly to all covered facilities and their visitors across New Jersey.