Asm. Dawn Fantasia

Maddy summaryThis bill increases financial aid to New Jersey municipalities from the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over two years, restoring approximately $331 million in reduced aid payments that municipalities received during fiscal years 2009-2011. In fiscal year 2023, municipalities will receive 50% of the difference between their 2008 and 2012 aid distributions, with full restoration beginning in 2024. Municipalities must subtract any additional aid received from their property tax levy calculations and cannot anticipate this aid when creating annual budgets. The bill requires municipalities to amend their budgets to properly reflect the total aid amount, ensuring the aid directly reduces the amount they need to raise through property taxes.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $450,000 from the Drug Enforcement and Demand Reduction Fund - funded by fines from convicted drug offenders - to the Hooked on Fishing-Not on Drugs Program. The program, established by law (P.L.2012, c.46), uses fishing activities to engage youth in drug prevention efforts. The funding covers implementation costs, and the bill encourages annual appropriations from the same fund or other sources to maintain the program.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A1662) prohibits mental health therapists and insurance companies from sharing or demanding specific patient information related to behavioral health care. It limits what insurers can request: basic patient details (name, session dates, fees), diagnostic codes, treatment status (voluntary/inpatient), simplified reasons for continuing care (using terms like "mild" or "severe"), and estimated treatment duration. The bill explicitly bans insurers from seeking "psychotherapy notes" (detailed session records kept separate from medical files) and requires any permitted disclosures to be marked "confidential." It directly affects mental health providers and health insurers in New Jersey, ensuring patient privacy aligns with professional licensing rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires any New Jersey state website providing information about reproductive rights to also include easily accessible details about adoption services and resources for pregnant women and new mothers. It mandates that state agencies, including the Department of Health, develop and publish comprehensive information covering adoption benefits, service links, and financial or other support options for those choosing to parent. The policy applies to all state-operated websites offering reproductive rights content and directs specific agencies to collaborate on creating this resource. The requirement takes effect 180 days after the bill is signed into law.

Maddy summaryThis bill would restore approximately $331 million in municipal aid reductions that occurred during fiscal years 2009-2011 by gradually increasing distributions from the Energy Tax Receipts Property Tax Relief Fund over five years. Starting in fiscal year 2017, municipalities would receive incremental increases (20% in 2017, 40% in 2018, 60% in 2019, 80% in 2020, and 100% starting in 2021) to fully restore aid levels from fiscal year 2012. The bill requires municipalities to subtract any additional aid received from their property tax levy when calculating their next year's tax amount. This directly affects all New Jersey municipalities that received aid from these funds, allowing them to lower property tax rates for residents while maintaining their overall aid levels.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals New Jersey's participation in the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact (NPVIC). The compact would have required New Jersey to allocate its electoral votes to the presidential candidate who won the national popular vote, rather than the candidate who won in New Jersey. By removing the state's commitment to the compact, the bill ensures New Jersey's electoral votes will continue to be awarded based on the state's popular vote outcome, maintaining the current winner-take-all system. The repeal eliminates all statutory references to the agreement in New Jersey law.

Maddy summaryThis bill would amend New Jersey's tax code to exclude certain retirement contributions from gross income tax calculations. Specifically, it would exclude contributions to qualified pension plans, deferred compensation plans, and provide a deduction for qualifying individual retirement account (IRA) contributions. Currently, private sector employees benefit from tax deferral on retirement contributions, but public sector employees (including government workers, school employees, and nonprofit staff) do not have the same tax treatment. The bill would extend similar tax advantages to these workers, making retirement savings more accessible for them. It would apply to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThe New Jersey Right to Try-Plus Act permits terminally ill patients (with a life expectancy of 12 months or less) to access investigational treatments not yet approved by the FDA and off-label uses of FDA-approved drugs. To qualify, patients must consult a New Jersey-licensed physician who has reviewed all FDA-approved options, provide written consent, and meet specific criteria like having a terminal illness. Hospitals must provide FDA-approved drugs off-label upon request, while manufacturers may supply investigational treatments without charge or require patients to cover manufacturing costs - though insurers aren’t required to cover these expenses. The bill protects healthcare providers from liability for adverse outcomes (except in cases of gross negligence) and penalizes government officials who block access with fines or jail time.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Assembly Resolution (AR 17) urges the FBI to include victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report hate crime statistics. It argues that the attacks - motivated by hatred against a specific group - should be counted as hate-motivated murders, as the FBI currently excludes them from standard hate crime data despite reporting them in a special report. The resolution does not create new law but requests the FBI adjust its reporting methodology to align with the meaning of "hate-motivated murder" under the Hate Crime Statistics Act of 1990. The resolution directly addresses the FBI’s data collection practices, not any affected individuals or organizations.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey state agencies and local governments from allowing foreign companies created under the laws of a "foreign adversary" to participate in critical infrastructure projects. A "foreign adversary" is defined as a foreign government designated by the U.S. Secretary of Commerce for actions threatening U.S. national security or safety. The law applies to infrastructure like electricity grids, water pipelines, gas systems, and communication networks, banning these foreign entities from construction, maintenance, or control. Existing agreements before the law's enactment are exempt from this ban but cannot be renewed if they conflict with the new rule. The bill aims to prevent security risks like cyberattacks by restricting foreign control over essential services.