Asm. Reginald Atkins

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes legal protections for patients and healthcare providers accessing or providing reproductive and gender-affirming health care services in New Jersey. It creates a new crime for interfering with these services (including physical obstruction, intimidation, or damaging property), with penalties ranging from a disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime. The bill also prevents New Jersey from extraditing people for legally protected health care activities, prohibits licensing boards from penalizing providers for services that are legal in New Jersey but illegal in other states, and protects patient privacy related to these services. It specifically ensures that a fertilized egg, embryo, or fetus has no independent legal rights under New Jersey law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public colleges and universities to provide free menstrual products (tampons and sanitary napkins) in all public women's restrooms, all-gender restrooms, and at least one men's restroom in every campus building - including lecture halls, residence halls, libraries, and dining facilities. It mandates a variety of products (regular to super-plus, allergy-friendly options) and requires educational materials about menstrual health and disposal. The state will cover all costs for these products, with institutions reimbursed annually through a documentation process. The bill directly affects students and staff at New Jersey’s public higher education institutions, ensuring access to essential hygiene products across all campus facilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) to use funds from the "Global Warming Solutions Fund" to provide grants or financial assistance to commercial, institutional, and industrial entities. The funds specifically support projects that refurbish or upgrade existing electricity generation facilities to modernize, expand, or extend their lifespan. To qualify, projects must demonstrate measurable reductions in greenhouse gas emissions or energy demand, though combined heat and power projects are exempt from this requirement. The fund, sourced from New Jersey's participation in the Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative (RGGI), is allocated 60% to the EDA for these purposes under the bill's amendments to P.L.2007, c.340.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the weekly cap for personal care assistant (PCA) services under New Jersey Medicaid from 40 to 91 hours for beneficiaries clinically eligible for nursing facility-level care. The Department of Human Services must approve up to 91 hours per week as medically necessary, based on a beneficiary’s written care plan and delivered in their home or other settings under a nurse’s supervision. It requires the department to update its assessment tool for PCA services to reflect this change. The policy directly affects Medicaid beneficiaries needing high-level care who wish to remain in their homes, rather than moving to institutional settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the monthly personal needs allowance (PNA) from $50 to $140 for low-income residents in nursing homes, state psychiatric hospitals, and state developmental centers. The allowance is intended for residents to spend on discretionary items like phone calls, meals out, clothing, or hobbies. The new amount includes an automatic annual increase tied to the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment starting the year after enactment. It also ensures SSI recipients in these facilities receive the same $140 monthly allowance as Medicaid recipients, with the state covering the difference if federal supplements remain unchanged.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A3301 creates a new criminal offense called "victimization" for intentionally committing certain crimes (like assault, burglary, or theft) against senior citizens (60+ years old) or persons with disabilities. The bill defines a "person with a disability" as someone with a pre-existing medically determinable impairment substantially limiting resistance, including those receiving Social Security disability benefits. If the victim is a senior or person with a disability, the perpetrator faces a separate charge one degree higher than the original crime (e.g., a fourth-degree offense becomes a third-degree crime), with harsher penalties like 10-30 year sentences for first-degree underlying crimes. The law mandates separate sentencing for both the original crime and the victimization charge, and defendants cannot claim they did not know the victim’s status.

Maddy summaryThe New Jersey Works Act provides tax credits to businesses that fund pre-employment training programs with educational institutions or nonprofits. Businesses can receive a tax credit equal to 100% of the financial assistance they provide for approved programs that offer at least 12 weeks of paid training at minimum wage to low- and moderate-income individuals. These programs must include training in basic skills, communication, critical thinking, and job readiness. The bill appropriates $3 million from the General Fund to implement the program and requires a two-year evaluation of its effectiveness, excluding construction businesses from participation.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey bill A4574 (introduced June 13, 2024) expands oversight of nursing homes and long-term care facilities to improve resident safety and care. The bill requires facilities to develop detailed outbreak response plans - including isolation protocols, staff training, and emergency drills - and establish infection prevention committees with dedicated staff. It also creates "Mission Critical Long-Term Care Teams" to identify facilities needing intervention and mandates more frequent inspections by additional health inspectors. These changes apply to all New Jersey nursing homes and are funded through a new appropriation to the Department of Health.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4585) requires New Jersey's Department of Human Services to expand home and community-based services (HCBS) under Medicaid. It sets specific targets: by 2027, 80% of Medicaid recipients eligible for nursing home care must receive HCBS instead, with 60% of long-term care funding allocated to HCBS; by 2029, this funding target rises to 70%. The bill mandates a five-year strategic plan to reduce reliance on nursing homes, ensure fair wages for caregivers (with inflation adjustments), and coordinate housing and care services. These changes directly affect Medicaid beneficiaries seeking alternatives to institutional care, caregivers, and state agencies managing Medicaid programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill would create a tax credit program allowing New Jersey taxpayers to receive a 75% credit against their state income tax for donations to approved scholarship organizations. It directly affects nonpublic school students who meet income criteria (household income ≤2.6x the federal reduced-price lunch threshold) attending schools complying with anti-discrimination and anti-bullying laws. The key mechanism requires scholarship organizations to spend 95% of donations on student aid, limit administrative costs to 5%, and adhere to strict eligibility rules. The program would have been capped at $37.5 million annually (adjusted for inflation), but the bill was withdrawn from consideration on June 13, 2024, and never became law.