Asm. Michele Matsikoudis

Maddy summaryThis resolution establishes a special committee to investigate New Jersey's Veterans' Memorial Homes in Menlo Park, Paramus, and Vineland. The committee will examine how state actions, laws, and regulations have affected residents, families, and staff since March 2020, focusing on changes made after federal inspections. The committee, composed of seven members appointed by the Assembly Speaker (with no more than four from the same party), has authority to hold hearings, require testimony and documents, and issue public reports. It will provide findings and recommendations to the legislature and public regarding the homes' operations and policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 12-member Electric Vehicle Battery Recycling Task Force within New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection. The task force will study safe storage, reuse, recycling, and disposal methods for used electric vehicle batteries, analyzing current data, international programs, and recycling infrastructure needs. It must develop recommendations - including potential legislation - to improve the state's battery recycling system within two years, while also exploring second-life uses for batteries retaining 70% capacity. The task force includes state officials, EV manufacturers, recyclers, academics, and environmental experts, with a public reporting requirement to the Governor and Legislature. This is a study-focused effort, not a new law, aiming to address growing needs as electric vehicle adoption increases.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows children aged three through five with developmental delays or disabilities to continue receiving early intervention services without interruption. Currently, services typically end at age three as children transition to preschool special education; this bill extends eligibility until age six or when a child enters kindergarten, whichever occurs first. It requires the Department of Health to comply with federal IDEA Part C regulations, including obtaining parental consent for continued services. The change aims to minimize disruption in care during the transition period while maintaining federal compliance.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A298 requires the Department of Education to annually collect and publicly publish data on the use of physical restraints and seclusion on students with disabilities in public schools, school districts, and approved private schools. The bill mandates that this data include the frequency, duration, and type of restraint or seclusion used, while protecting student privacy. The published data must be disaggregated by county, student race, gender, and age to enable transparency and identify potential disparities. This policy change focuses solely on data collection and reporting, without altering school practices or requiring changes to restraint protocols.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to provide outreach and services to human trafficking victims using state resources, collaborating with victim support organizations like the Victims of Crime Compensation Office. It authorizes a pilot program to fund service providers in urban areas with the highest crime rates and communities near major ports that have significant minority populations. The pilot program must be evaluated after implementation to determine if it should be continued, expanded, or made permanent. The bill applies statewide but targets specific communities for initial service delivery through the pilot.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Secretary of State to create a website where voters can report problems with mail-in ballots they receive, such as ballots sent to deceased or non-resident voters. The website would let voters provide their contact details and describe issues, with reports automatically sent to local election officials for follow-up. It also establishes a nine-member "Vote by Mail Study Commission" to investigate mail-in voting irregularities, including how to prevent duplicate ballots or mailings to inactive voters. The commission must hold public hearings across the state and submit findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within one year.

Maddy summaryThis bill permits licensed motor vehicle dealers in New Jersey to help buyers obtain titles and registrations for used cars purchased through private sales (between non-dealers). It allows individuals aged 17 or older who buy used cars privately to apply to a licensed dealer within 10 working days for title and registration services instead of going directly to the Motor Vehicle Commission. Dealers may charge a reasonable fee for this service and issue temporary registration certificates, while buyers must still apply to the Commission for registration renewals. The bill requires the Commission to create temporary rules within three months to implement these changes, effective immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to deploy mobile service units when physical agencies are overcrowded and causing customer delays. If mobile units are insufficient for all crowded locations, the MVC must prioritize their use to serve the most people or reduce wait times most effectively. The mobile units are defined as portable vehicles providing standard MVC services like license renewals and registrations. This directly affects MVC customers facing long in-person wait times and sets a new operational requirement for the MVC.

Maddy summaryThis bill would change New Jersey's rules for limited brewery licensees by removing the requirement that beer for on-premises consumption must be sold only "in connection with a tour" of the brewery. Currently, limited breweries can sell beer for on-site consumption only if customers take a brewery tour. Under this bill, breweries could sell beer for on-site consumption without requiring a tour, though they would still need to offer tours during business hours when the brewery is open to the public and operations allow for tours. The bill affects only limited brewery licensees, who are permitted to brew up to 300,000 barrels of beer annually. This change would provide more flexibility for limited breweries to serve customers on their premises without the tour requirement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1193) amends New Jersey's legal definition of "abused child" under P.L.1971, c.437, to explicitly include children subjected to human trafficking. It adds human trafficking - defined in P.L.2005, c.77 (C.2C:13-8) - as a specific form of abuse under the statute, alongside existing categories like physical injury and sexual abuse. This change directly affects children under 18 who are victims of trafficking by their parents, guardians, or custodians. The amendment ensures these children are recognized under the state's child abuse protections without altering other aspects of the definition.