Asm. Reginald Atkins

Maddy summaryThis bill allows registered qualifying patients who are 21 years or older to grow up to four mature cannabis plants and four immature plants for their personal medical use at home. Patients must notify the Cannabis Regulatory Commission of their intent to home cultivate and specify who will be authorized to grow the cannabis, with no more than one person allowed to cultivate for a patient at any time. Patients can change their designated home cultivator with 10 days' notice, and any plants not transferred to the new cultivator must be surrendered to law enforcement. The bill also prohibits selling, donating, or distributing home-cultivated cannabis to unauthorized individuals, with penalties including civil fines up to $1,000 and loss of registration with the commission.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey colleges and universities to maintain a supply of naloxone nasal spray (an opioid overdose reversal medication) in secure but accessible campus locations and develop specific emergency response policies. The policy must designate a licensed medical professional to oversee naloxone use, permit trained staff (including resident assistants) to administer it in good faith during suspected overdoses, and mandate hospital transport after administration. Institutions must also provide required training on naloxone protocols to designated personnel, with liability protection for good-faith actions. The bill specifically exempts licensed athletic trainers from violating their licensure act when using naloxone under these protocols.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's State Board of Education to create three new teaching certifications (endorsements) for educators. It allows teachers to teach students with disabilities across all grade levels (excluding blind/visually impaired or deaf/hard of hearing students), combine elementary and middle school teaching under one K-8 endorsement, and teach bilingual education with new language proficiency requirements. Currently, teachers must hold separate certifications for different grade levels or subject areas. The changes aim to simplify certification for special education, K-8 instruction, and bilingual programs while requiring language skills for bilingual educators.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A589) requires a drunk driver convicted of reckless vehicular homicide that kills a parent or guardian to pay financial support for the child's needs. It mandates courts to order payments covering the child's living expenses until age 18 (or graduation), or until 21 if the child has a disability, with a minimum 5-year payment period. The court must consider the child's financial needs, living standards, and the surviving parent's resources when setting the amount. Payments accrue during incarceration but allow up to one year after release to begin paying, and civil judgments are offset by these ordered payments.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill protects financial institutions and insurers that provide services to cannabis businesses from state penalties. It prohibits state agencies from discouraging or penalizing these institutions for serving cannabis businesses, including taking adverse actions on loans or requiring service termination. The bill also ensures that transactions with cannabis businesses won't be considered illegal, and requires cannabis businesses to notify financial institutions if their licenses are suspended or revoked. This directly affects banks, credit unions, insurers, and cannabis-related businesses operating in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Assembly Resolution (AR 40) formally recognizes U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge for her leadership in establishing the Interagency Task Force on Property Appraisal and Valuation Equity (PAVE) initiative. The resolution highlights PAVE's work to address racial bias in home appraisals, referencing a 2022 Brookings study showing homes in predominantly Black neighborhoods are undervalued by 21-23% - resulting in an estimated $162 billion in lost equity for homeowners. It notes HUD's efforts to eliminate racial bias in FHA-insured mortgage appraisals and to provide a process for homeowners to request appraisal reviews if they suspect bias. The resolution will be sent to federal officials as a symbolic gesture of support for this initiative.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Military Suicide Prevention Task Force within New Jersey's Department of Military and Veterans Affairs and Department of Human Services. The task force, made up of 17 members including veterans, mental health experts, and state agency representatives, will focus on reducing and eliminating suicides among active duty military members and veterans. It will identify key issues, review current services, examine suicide prevention data, and recommend evidence-based strategies and potential legislation. The task force must submit biannual reports to the Governor and Legislature with findings and concrete recommendations for improving mental health support and crisis resources.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A1808 requires hospitals to annually report drug-related attempted and completed suicides involving minors (under 18) to the New Jersey Poison Control Center. Hospitals must provide data on the minor's age, ethnicity, gender, race, and the specific drug used, while protecting all personal identifiers under privacy laws. The Poison Control Center then compiles this data into an annual report for the Governor and Legislature. The bill specifically covers suicides involving drugs and does not require disclosure of confidential health information. It takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryBill A1886 requires New Jersey municipalities to include specific recommendations for warehouse locations in their planning board reexamination reports, conducted at least every 10 years. These recommendations must align with the State Development and Redevelopment Plan and the State Planning Commission's official warehouse siting guidance policy. The bill applies to all reexamination reports adopted on or after its effective date. This ensures local decisions about warehouse siting consistently follow state-level planning goals.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers administration of all school meal programs in New Jersey from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Education. It covers programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and emergency meal distributions, which provide nutritious meals to students and children in childcare settings. The transfer includes all related functions, funding, staff, records, and existing rules (which remain in effect until replaced by the Department of Education). The change aims to align program management with the Department of Education’s mission of supporting student academic success through school-based services.