Asm. Reginald Atkins

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey individual taxpayers to deduct certain capital gains from selling qualified small business stock held for more than five years. It applies to stock in C corporations that meet specific requirements, including having no more than $50 million in assets at issuance, using at least 80% of assets in active qualified businesses (not service industries like law or finance), and having 80% of payroll in New Jersey. The deduction is limited to the greater of $10 million (reduced by prior years' deductions) or ten times the stock's adjusted basis. The bill aims to encourage investment in New Jersey-based small businesses by reducing capital gains tax on qualifying stock sales after a five-year holding period.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends a pause on collecting new student growth objective data for teacher evaluations in New Jersey schools. It applies to the 2024-2025 school year and subsequent years until the next revision of education regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:10). During this pause, school districts must use existing student growth data from the previous year for evaluations, though new teachers or those without prior data must still set objectives and collect data during this period. The pause ends once updated evaluation guidelines are implemented following recommendations from the New Jersey Educator Evaluation Review Task Force. This directly affects teachers, principals, and school districts in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases tax credits for investors who fund New Jersey emerging technology businesses, raising the credit rate from 20% to 60% of qualified investments, with an additional 5% available for investments in opportunity zones, low-income communities, or certified minority/women-owned businesses. It also lowers the maximum employee count for qualifying businesses from 225 to 150 employees. The bill repeals the "New Jersey Ignite Act" while updating definitions and mechanisms for the tax credit program to better support technology startups across fields like biotechnology, renewable energy, and advanced computing. This change directly affects individual investors and venture funds making qualifying investments in New Jersey-based technology businesses.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day" to raise awareness about the challenges faced by widows. It requires the governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and citizens to observe the day through activities that highlight widows' experiences. The bill does not create new policies, funding, or legal changes - it serves solely as a symbolic recognition of widows' issues, citing statistics like 260 million widows globally and 1 million U.S. widows annually. It passed unanimously in the New Jersey Assembly and became law (P.L.2025, JR-10).

Maddy summaryThis bill requires payment processors to use a specific international code (established by ISO) for all firearm and ammunition sales by businesses where such sales represent the majority of revenue. It directly affects firearms merchants (like gun stores) and payment networks (such as banks or credit card companies) by mandating this code starting May 2027. The key mechanism is standardizing transaction categorization to improve tracking of firearm-related purchases. The Attorney General enforces compliance, with penalties including $10,000 per violation for non-compliance after a 30-day correction period.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Out-of-School Time Advisory Commission to review before-school, after-school, and summer programs statewide. The 20-member commission includes state agency leaders, legislative appointees, and representatives from child care organizations, educators, and researchers. Its key duties are to assess current programs, develop statewide standards, examine funding sources, and evaluate program quality across urban, suburban, and rural areas. The commission must submit an interim report within one year and a final report within two years, after which it will expire. The bill directly affects all organizations providing out-of-school time programs in New Jersey by setting a framework for their review and improvement.

Maddy summaryThe Graduate Physician Licensing Act establishes a new license category for medical school graduates who have not completed residency programs. These "graduate physicians" would be permitted to provide primary care services in medically underserved areas under the supervision of a collaborating physician through formal collaborative practice arrangements. The bill sets specific licensure requirements (including passing Step 2 of the medical licensing exam and having no criminal history) and outlines detailed oversight requirements for collaborative practice arrangements, including documentation, chart review, and patient disclosure. Health insurance plans, Medicaid, and state health benefit programs would be required to reimburse graduate physicians at the same rate as physician assistants for their services.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens regulation of cooperative sober living residences (facilities for individuals recovering from addiction) by increasing civil penalties for violations from $5,000 to $25,000, requiring two annual unannounced inspections, and mandating public posting of licensed facility locations. It establishes new reporting requirements for serious incidents like injuries, deaths, or outbreaks, and requires facilities to employ on-site staff qualified in addiction recovery, prohibit alcohol/drug use with random testing, and provide counseling services. The bill appropriates $100,000 for implementation and amends the 1979 Rooming and Boarding House Act to create specific regulatory standards for these facilities. These changes directly affect operators of cooperative sober living residences and their residents.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs (DMVA) to create a free Bereavement Counseling Program for family members and volunteer caregivers of veterans who died by suicide. Family members include spouses, parents, children, or household residents, while volunteer caregivers must be 18+ members of a qualified veterans' organization who provided non-paid counseling care for at least three months before the veteran's death. The program will allow applications up to five years after the veteran's death, with approved participants receiving up to 24 months of counseling (max 30 hours per year) through DMVA-matched clinicians. DMVA will provide application information via Veteran Service Officers and funeral directors when a veteran's suicide death is known, and clinicians must donate their time with no cost to participants.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Health (DOH) to assess children's oral health using the Basic Screening Survey, developed by dental health professionals. It mandates DOH, with dental staff, to collect random data samples from every county biannually on oral health status of preschool and school-aged children, with parental consent required for any data collection. All data must comply with privacy laws, and DOH must submit biennial reports to the Governor and Legislature with findings and recommendations. The survey is a screening tool to identify obvious dental issues, not a clinical exam or treatment plan. The bill directly affects children's oral health monitoring across New Jersey.