Asm. Linda Carter

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3974 prohibits substance use disorder treatment providers from using deceptive marketing practices. The bill requires all advertising to include accurate, plain-language details about services, locations, and contact information (including phone numbers and addresses), and bans false claims about network status, geographic location, or affiliations with other providers without written consent. Violations carry civil penalties up to $20,000 per incident, and affected individuals may sue for triple damages plus attorney fees. This directly affects licensed treatment facilities, certified providers, and recovery residences offering substance use disorder services within the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 862, now P.L.2025, c.11) requires New Jersey's Department of Transportation (DOT) to include significantly more detailed information in its annual report on road conditions. Specifically, the report must now list numerical rankings of roads needing repair, detail completed maintenance projects (including pothole repairs), provide cost estimates for each project, track material usage (tonnage), and include data on pothole damage claims and associated costs from the Treasury Department. The report must be made publicly available on the DOT's website. This affects the DOT directly by expanding its reporting duties and provides the public with more transparency about road maintenance spending and road conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow property owners, agents, or responsible persons in charge of construction projects to choose private inspection agencies for building code compliance inspections, rather than being limited to municipal enforcing agencies. Currently, owners could only use private inspectors if the municipality failed to complete inspections within three business days and with Department of Community Affairs authorization. The bill would eliminate this restriction, permitting owners to select private inspectors for any reason. It also establishes procedures for charging separate inspection fees and requires private agencies to follow conflict-of-interest rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates new criminal penalties for selling or buying marijuana from unlicensed businesses in New Jersey. Business owners operating without a license from the Cannabis Regulatory Commission face a third-degree crime (3-5 years in prison or $15,000 fine), while organizers running multiple unlicensed operations face a second-degree crime (5-10 years or $150,000 fine). Purchasing from unlicensed businesses is classified as a disorderly persons offense (up to 6 months in jail or $1,000 fine). The law also authorizes state police to shut down violating businesses and seize illegal marijuana, supplementing existing cannabis regulations under the CREAMMA law. It directly affects unlicensed cannabis businesses, their operators, and buyers who knowingly purchase from them.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5924) automatically grants tenants in multi-unit buildings (two or more units) who are displaced by fire the same protections as those displaced by code enforcement. Specifically, it defines tenants made homeless by fire damage (as certified by a housing inspector) as "displaced persons" under New Jersey's Relocation Assistance Act, eliminating the need for municipalities to pass separate resolutions. Key provisions include a tenant's right of first refusal to return to their repaired unit once it's habitable, and the option to pay $1/month rent to the landlord to maintain that right during repairs. These changes apply immediately to tenants displaced by fire, ensuring they have clearer pathways to return or secure housing assistance.

Maddy summaryBill A5923 establishes a state approval process for public colleges and universities in New Jersey to merge or consolidate with other public institutions or certain private colleges. It requires the governing boards of merging institutions to jointly apply for preliminary approval from the Higher Education Secretary, who reviews the merger plan and issues a final decision, followed by a 90-day legislative review period where the Legislature can disapprove the merger with a concurrent resolution. The bill does not apply to Rutgers University, but any merger involving Rutgers must follow this process, and the single remaining institution will be treated as one entity for state funding purposes.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3558 bill establishes the state's official definition of antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) standard, including specific examples of antisemitic conduct. State agencies and institutions must use this definition when reviewing, investigating, or deciding on cases involving discriminatory acts motivated by antisemitism. The bill appropriates $100,000 for a public awareness campaign by the Attorney General's office to educate residents on identifying and reporting bias crimes through community outreach and the existing bias crimes hotline. This campaign aims to improve reporting of antisemitic incidents without affecting First Amendment rights or conflicting with existing anti-discrimination laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill reorganizes New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program governance by expanding the State Health Benefits Commission to 11 members and eliminating the previous Plan Design Committee. It requires the program to offer exactly five health plans for employees and non-Medicare-eligible retirees, including a new "NJ Gold" plan that doesn't require salary-based employee contributions. The bill establishes an escalator system to adjust employee contribution rates based on premium cost trends, increasing rates if premiums rise significantly above inflation and decreasing them if premiums fall. Additionally, it mandates that local government employers must decide within one year whether to join the SHBP, with a two-year commitment if they choose to participate.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public schools (grades 7-12) and colleges to print the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources on student ID cards, replacing the current mandate for the NJ Hopeline number. The Commissioner of Education or Secretary of Higher Education (with input from the Commissioner of Human Services) will determine the specific resources to be listed. Schools may also include additional support services like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or on-campus crisis centers. The law takes effect immediately for the next school year.

Maddy summaryS 4263 makes permanent a 72-hour limit on holding individuals in general hospitals or emergency departments for involuntary mental health commitment without a court order. Hospitals may extend this hold for up to 72 additional hours only if they have exhausted efforts to place the person in a less restrictive facility and two psychiatrists certify the person's danger due to mental illness. Hospitals must submit quarterly de-identified reports to the state detailing extended holds, including reasons for extension, duration beyond 72 hours, and placement outcomes, with reports made public within 60 days. This directly affects general hospitals, emergency departments, and individuals subject to involuntary mental health commitments.