Asm. John DiMaio

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Education to create a water safety fact sheet for schools, developed with input from organizations like the American Red Cross. The fact sheet must include practical tips for preventing drowning, the importance of swim lessons, and locations offering free or low-cost water safety courses in each county. Public school districts must distribute the fact sheet to parents/guardians during initial student enrollment, while nonpublic schools may choose to distribute it but are not required to. The bill directly affects parents of newly enrolled students in public schools and provides accessible resources for water safety education across the state. It takes effect after a four-month implementation period following enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill bans most abortions after 20 weeks following fertilization (conception), requiring physicians to determine the unborn child's post-fertilization age before performing an abortion. It directly affects women seeking abortions after 20 weeks and physicians who perform such procedures. Key exceptions allow abortions for: (1) life-threatening medical conditions of the pregnant person; (2) rape (if reported to authorities and 48-hour counseling is obtained); or (3) incest involving minors (if reported). If an abortion occurs under an exception and the child survives, the bill requires a neonatal care specialist to be present to provide life-saving care.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a legal presumption that joint legal and physical custody is in a child's best interest for all New Jersey child custody cases. It requires courts to assume equal or approximately equal time with both parents and shared decision-making on health, education, and welfare, unless a parent provides clear evidence that joint custody would harm the child. To rebut this presumption, a parent must prove harm with "clear and convincing evidence," and courts must document their reasoning. The law applies directly to parents and judges handling custody disputes in New Jersey courts. If passed, it would shift the default custody arrangement from flexible court discretion to equal shared parenting, with limited exceptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's definition of "firearm" to explicitly clarify that BB guns are not considered firearms under state law. It directly affects recreational BB gun owners, manufacturers, and retailers by removing these devices from firearm regulations. The key provision updates the legal definition to exclude air guns using compressed air or CO2 to fire .177-caliber pellets at under 500 feet per second. This change prevents misclassification of BB guns under firearm laws, ensuring they are not subject to firearm licensing, registration, or possession restrictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Veteran Grant Program, providing tuition assistance for veterans attending public colleges and universities in New Jersey. It directly affects veterans who completed at least one year of active military service (including National Guard or Reserves), hold an honorable discharge, reside in New Jersey, and apply for other available grants first. The program covers tuition and mandatory fees for up to 18 credits per semester after other aid is applied, with public institutions required to waive any remaining balance. To qualify, veterans must maintain good academic standing, not be in student loan default, and not receive ROTC scholarships, with grants renewable annually based on continued eligibility.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to submit an annual financial report by March 1 each year, detailing the status of special funding accounts under its control. The report must cover both "appropriated balances" (funds available for reuse) and "unappropriated balances" (funds available for future allocation) across accounts funded by sources like federal grants, dedicated taxes, fees, bond proceeds, and one-time appropriations. It also mandates an immediate interim report within 30 days of the bill's enactment, using the most recent available data. The goal is to increase transparency around these "special revenue" accounts, which often operate outside regular budget scrutiny.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how motor vehicle fine money is distributed when violations are issued by the State Police. Specifically, it directs that one-third of the total fines collected from State Police-issued tickets must go to the municipality where the violation occurred, while two-thirds go to the State Treasurer for designated state funds. The municipality can use this one-third share to help cover costs like operating its municipal court. This applies only to violations where the State Police were the issuing agency, not to tickets from other law enforcement. The change aims to provide direct local funding for municipal court operations from these specific fines.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A 3155) would exempt a portion of income earned by medical practices from state income tax when serving Medicaid patients. Specifically, it excludes the share of a practice's net income derived from Medicaid services, calculated as the proportion of Medicaid receipts relative to total practice revenue. The policy aims to incentivize physicians and clinics to treat more Medicaid patients by reducing their tax burden on that income. It applies to practices organized as LLCs or partnerships and would take effect for taxable years after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to repeal a 2018 directive (No. 2018-6) that limited local law enforcement cooperation with federal immigration authorities. The directive previously prohibited police from sharing certain information with immigration officials - such as notifying them about detained individuals' release dates or extending detention solely based on immigration requests - when immigration enforcement was the sole purpose. The bill directly affects state, county, and local police departments by removing these restrictions on sharing information with federal immigration authorities. It aims to restore full cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration agencies, as specified in the directive's current provisions. The repeal would take effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill gradually reduces New Jersey's Corporation Business Tax (CBT) rate for corporations filing tax returns. It lowers the standard tax rate from 7% for tax years ending after December 31, 2020, to 5% in 2021, 3% in 2022, and 2.5% in 2023. Small New Jersey S corporations with net income under $100,000 will see reduced rates (3.5% for 2020-2021, 2.5% for 2021 onward). The changes apply to corporations calculating tax under existing law, modifying the rate schedule in Section 5 of P.L.1945, c.162.