Asm. Dawn Fantasia

Maddy summaryThis bill requires apprenticeship program partners to get U.S. Department of Labor approval before counting high school classroom hours as credit toward the classroom training portion of registered apprenticeships. It applies to school-to-apprenticeship programs and standard apprenticeship programs established under New Jersey's existing apprenticeship law (P.L.1993, c.268). The key mechanism is a mandatory consultation and approval step with the U.S. Department of Labor before such credit agreements are made. This affects high school students, educators, and apprenticeship program sponsors who coordinate classroom learning with apprenticeship requirements. The bill does not change what counts as credit, only the process for approving such arrangements.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a mandatory reporting system for vaccine adverse events in children under 19 in New Jersey. Health care providers - including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and emergency department staff - must report any adverse event occurring within eight weeks of vaccination, regardless of whether they believe the vaccine caused it. Reports must include the child’s details, vaccine information, and specific event descriptions, while protecting patient and provider identities. The system will collect data for public health analysis and automatically forward reports to the federal VAERS system, as required by federal law.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates New Jersey's "Servicemembers' Civil Relief Act," protecting active-duty military members (including National Guard), their dependents, and reservists called to duty. It provides concrete protections like temporary pauses on court cases (up to 90 days), debt collection, tax payments, and insurance premiums during service or within 180 days after. The law explicitly prevents creditors, insurers, or courts from penalizing servicemembers for using these protections - such as denying credit or raising insurance rates. It applies to all civil obligations, including leases, contracts, and court proceedings, ensuring servicemembers' rights are maintained during military service.

Maddy summaryACR 77 declares that the Division of State Lottery's rule (N.J.A.C. 17:20-1.5) permitting direct online sales of lottery tickets is inconsistent with New Jersey's State Lottery Act. The bill directly affects the Division of State Lottery (part of the Department of Treasury), which had adopted the rule to allow consumers to purchase tickets via the agency's website and apps. The resolution cites a conflict with N.J.S.A. 5:9-11, which prohibits state agencies from acting as "exclusive lottery sales agents." It gives the Division 30 days to amend or withdraw the rule, or the Legislature may later invalidate it through further action. This is a procedural resolution, not a new law, focusing on aligning agency rules with existing statutory intent.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3791) excludes "minimum required distributions" (RMDs) from New Jersey's gross income tax. RMDs are mandatory annual withdrawals from retirement plans for people aged 72+ under federal law. The bill applies to qualified retirement plans defined under federal tax code section 4974, directly benefiting New Jersey seniors who receive these distributions. It would reduce their state income tax burden by removing RMDs from taxable income, effective for taxable years after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Board of Education to obtain legislative approval for all new rules, amendments, or readoptions of existing rules through a concurrent resolution passed by both legislative chambers. It also permanently repeals the "Managing for Equity in Education" regulations (N.J.A.C.6A:7), which were recently adopted to address school equity. The State Board must now submit proposed rules to the Legislature for approval before implementation, and the Office of Administrative Law must include the legislative resolution when filing rule notices. This directly affects the State Board of Education (which loses unilateral rule-making authority) and school districts previously governed by the repealed equity regulations.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill requires physicians and medical investigators to include an infant's vaccination history from the past six months in sudden infant death reports using a federal CDC form. It mandates that completed reports be submitted to the Child Fatality Review Board within 10 days for study. The board will specifically analyze whether infant deaths or near-deaths may have resulted from vaccination, tracking patterns and rates of such cases. The goal is to identify vaccine-related risks while maintaining public health protections, with a final report due to the Governor and Legislature within one year of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to redirect unspent funds from a 2024 settlement with Orsted (the company behind canceled offshore wind projects) to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). These funds - specifically unexpended, unencumbered, or unobligated money from the settlement - must be used by the BPU to provide ratepayer relief to electricity customers. The BPU will determine the exact timeline, method, and form of this relief through a rulemaking process. The bill does not create new policy but mandates the use of existing settlement funds to lower electricity costs for consumers.

Maddy summaryBill A 193 expands eligibility for New Jersey’s "Body Armor Replacement Fund" grants, allowing any state agency or department that appoints law enforcement officers (such as the Department of Environmental Protection for conservation officers) to receive funding. The bill requires the Attorney General to administer grants for replacing body vests every five years for eligible officers, prioritizing corrections officers in maximum-security facilities first. It also clarifies that "law enforcement officer" includes those with daily duties exposing them to assault risks, such as probation officers. The fund, managed by the Attorney General, will cover purchases for all eligible state agency officers, extending current coverage beyond police, state police, and corrections. (Bill A 193, introduced Jan. 13, 2026)

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's tax brackets for married couples filing jointly (and similar taxpayers like heads of household), raising the threshold for the lowest tax rate from $20,000 to $40,000 for 2020+ tax years. It directly affects married couples filing jointly by reducing their tax burden on income between $20,000-$40,000 annually, eliminating a previously higher tax rate that disproportionately impacted these filers. The key change updates Section 54A:2-1, subsection (a)(7), shifting the first tax bracket to apply to income under $40,000 (previously $20,000) and adjusting subsequent rates accordingly. This policy change specifically targets the "marriage penalty" where joint filers paid more tax than separate filers at certain income levels.