Asm. Linda Carter

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new mental health initiative called the School-Based Partnerships for Access and Resilience for Kids program within the Department of Children and Families to support students in New Jersey schools. It requires school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects to develop specific mental health support programs that connect students with high behavioral health needs to the new SPARK program navigator. The program will provide same-day psychiatric consultations, referrals to community care, and assistance with returning to school after a mental health crisis, all of which require written parental consent. Additionally, the legislation mandates that schools establish clear guidelines for privacy, care coordination, and transition plans to ensure consistent support across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's Department of Children and Families to improve access to mental health care for children and their families. It requires the department to expand services through the New Jersey Pediatric Psychiatry Collaborative, which includes adding telehealth options, providing real-time psychiatric support to pediatric doctors, and offering better training and referral systems. The legislation also mandates greater transparency by setting specific performance goals for service providers, making contract results public, and launching a public awareness campaign to help families find care. Additionally, the bill establishes a new requirement for hospitals and clinics to report standardized data on how often children seek psychiatric or behavioral health services.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all televisions in New Jersey State buildings open to the public or employees to display closed captioning for any programming that supports it. The law directly affects state agencies and their facilities, mandating that visual text be shown on screens to assist hearing-impaired individuals in understanding audio content. While the requirement applies to most state-owned or leased equipment, it excludes older televisions manufactured before the bill's effective date that are technically unable to support captioning. The measure takes effect immediately upon passage, ensuring that accessible viewing options are available in government spaces without delay.

Maddy summaryThis bill streamlines the approval process for installing electric vehicle charging equipment at existing buildings like gas stations and retail stores by replacing complex land use reviews with a simpler administrative permit system. The key provision allows these installations to proceed through a non-discretionary permit process as long as they meet state construction codes and safety standards, eliminating the need for site plan board reviews or variance requests. Local governments retain the authority to review applications only for specific, demonstrable public health and safety concerns rather than general planning issues, while inspections remain required to ensure compliance with applicable regulations.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill streamlines the approval process for installing electric vehicle charging equipment at existing buildings and service stations by replacing complex land use reviews with a faster administrative permit system. The legislation requires installations to meet existing safety and construction codes but removes the need for site plan board reviews or variance relief for most applications. Local governments retain limited authority to deny permits only when there is clear, evidence-based proof that the equipment would harm public health or safety, excluding general planning concerns. The bill also sets a 20-day timeline for jurisdictions to notify applicants if their applications are incomplete and clarifies that charging stations encroaching on setbacks do not automatically violate safety standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows the New Jersey Division of Taxation to share certain tax data with the New Jersey Innovation Authority and the New Jersey Secure Choice Savings Board. The legislation amends existing state laws to create an exception to confidentiality rules, permitting these specific agencies to receive tax information for their respective programs. The bill does not change the general confidentiality protections for taxpayer records but adds authorized recipients for data sharing purposes. It applies to tax data that these agencies may need to administer their programs, such as the Innovation Authority's initiatives or the Secure Choice savings program.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 2100) expands the authority of educational research and services corporations in New Jersey. It allows these corporations - formed by public universities, colleges, and state-aided institutions - to act as lead agencies for procuring *any* goods, services, or public works, not just educational technology systems as previously permitted. This change applies to all member institutions (including schools, counties, municipalities, and local authorities) that join these corporations. The bill modifies existing law to remove the prior restriction on procurement scope, while requiring compliance with all state and local procurement rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies protections for patients and providers accessing or offering legally permitted reproductive and gender-affirming health care in New Jersey. It prohibits obstructing or intimidating individuals at facilities providing these services - including blocking entrances, causing reasonable fear of harm, or threatening violence. The law defines "legally protected health care activity" to cover all such services lawful in New Jersey, regardless of a patient’s location, and applies to both in-state residents and out-of-state patients seeking care here. It expands existing safeguards by explicitly banning physical obstructions and threats at facilities offering these services.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) to coordinate transportation planning and infrastructure across southern New Jersey counties, including Burlington County. The SJTA replaces the New Jersey Expressway Authority and Atlantic County Transportation Authority, managing highway systems, aviation facilities, and related economic development projects in the region. It explicitly encompasses Atlantic, Burlington, Camden, Cape May, Cumberland, Gloucester, and Salem counties as part of its jurisdiction. The authority does not replace the Transportation Trust Fund or New Jersey Transit Corporation's public transit services.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Human Services (DHS) to create a web-based tool and mobile app to help residents meet new work requirements for NJ FamilyCare and SNAP programs. It directs DHS to partner with the Governor's Office of Volunteerism to build a searchable database of approved volunteer opportunities that count toward the 80-hour monthly community service requirement for NJ FamilyCare (affecting 1.8 million recipients) and expanded SNAP work rules (affecting 425,000 households). The system will allow beneficiaries to find, register for, and document volunteer hours online, with annual audits to verify compliance. The law aims to prevent beneficiaries from losing coverage due to administrative hurdles under federal changes to these safety-net programs.