Asm. Dawn Fantasia

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for assaulting law enforcement officers, making it a second-degree crime when bodily injury occurs (previously a third-degree crime). It expands protection to include firefighters and emergency medical personnel who are assaulted while performing their duties. The bill requires offenders to provide a blood or biological sample for testing for communicable diseases, with any positive results shared with the victim. It also prohibits plea bargains for assault on law enforcement officers and prevents convictions from merging with other offenses. The bill takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies requirements for condominium and cooperative associations managing 3-story or taller residential buildings to protect structural integrity. It expands timeframes for associations to build adequate reserve funds: for large annual fee increases (over 10%), the period extends from 10 to 20 years, and for smaller increases, from 2 to 4 years. The bill clarifies that these rules apply only to covered buildings (3+ story condo/co-ops) and exclude single-family homes, non-condo buildings, and certain structural types. Associations must conduct reserve studies every five years to assess funding needs for structural repairs of primary load-bearing systems.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $106.5 million from the Property Tax Relief Fund to provide Emergency Supplemental Aid to New Jersey school districts affected by reduced state funding. Eligible districts must have received less than their required funding level (based on 2024-2025 aid) and less than or equal to $19,000 per enrolled student, with specific adjustments compared to the prior year’s funding. Aid amounts are calculated as $250 multiplied by each district’s resident pupil count as of October 16, 2023. The aid targets districts negatively impacted by P.L.2018, c.67 (the "S2" school funding law), which has caused budget shortfalls leading to staff cuts, reduced programs, and school closures in over 290 districts statewide.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's process for health insurance carriers to credential physicians seeking to join their provider networks. It requires carriers to notify applicants within 30 days if an application is incomplete (or deem it complete if no notice is given) and to review complete applications within 30 days. The bill mandates carriers to use a standardized universal application form, post clear process details online - including required documents and timelines - and reimburse physicians for services provided during the credentialing wait period if approved. It also prohibits carriers from requiring physicians to resubmit applications solely due to changing employers within the state, and gives the Department of Banking and Insurance authority to enforce these rules and handle complaints.

Maddy summaryAJR 60 is a joint resolution declaring New Jersey a "Purple Heart State" to honor veterans and active duty military members from the state who have been awarded the Purple Heart Medal. The Purple Heart is a military decoration given to service members wounded or killed in action while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. This resolution joins three existing "Purple Heart States" (West Virginia, Virginia, and Washington) and takes effect immediately, recognizing New Jersey's existing connections to the "Purple Heart Trail" - a network of roads, bridges, and monuments honoring recipients. It serves as a symbolic tribute without creating new programs, funding, or legal obligations.

Maddy summaryAJR 25 designates the first full week of May each year as "Wounded Warrior Appreciation Week" in New Jersey. This symbolic resolution aims to raise public awareness about the challenges faced by military veterans with physical or mental injuries sustained in service, including those with combat-related stress, PTSD, or traumatic brain injuries. It requests the governor issue a proclamation encouraging New Jersey residents and officials to observe the week with activities honoring wounded warriors. The bill does not create new programs, allocate funding, or impose obligations on state agencies - it is purely a ceremonial designation.

Maddy summaryThis resolution urges the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement (SSUTA) to amend its definition of "grooming and hygiene products" to exclude oral healthcare items like toothpaste, toothbrushes, and mouthwash. Currently, these products are taxed at New Jersey's 6.625% sales tax rate under the SSUTA's existing definition. The resolution requests two specific changes: (1) removing oral care products from the "grooming" category, and (2) creating a new "oral healthcare products" category to allow states to exempt these items from sales tax. As a non-binding resolution, it seeks to enable future tax exemptions for these essential health products by modifying the multistate SSUTA agreement, not by directly changing New Jersey law.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows restaurants and licensed alcohol beverage retailers and manufacturers to expand their operations into designated outdoor spaces adjacent to their business locations, including public sidewalks. Businesses must apply for a "premises expansion permit" with their municipal zoning officer and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control, providing detailed plans for outdoor space design, sanitation, and safety measures. Municipalities can set reasonable operating hour limits (generally allowing most hours except late-night on Sundays-Wednesdays and early morning on Thurs-Saturdays), but must follow state requirements for permit renewal. Restaurants without alcohol licenses must renew their outdoor permits annually, while those with alcohol licenses renew with their main business license. The bill specifies that municipal ordinances on sanitation, noise, and other matters still apply unless specifically modified by the municipality.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the bridge over Crosswicks Creek on Interstate Highway Route 295 North (between Bordentown and Hamilton townships) as the "Benjamin Moore and the 693rd Sapper Company Memorial Highway." It honors Army Specialist Benjamin G. Moore, who died in Afghanistan in 2011 while serving with the 693rd Sapper Company, and recognizes his military service and community work as a first responder. The bill specifies that state funds cannot pay for the memorial signs; instead, the transportation department may accept private donations or grants to cover sign costs, with agreements required before any work begins.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public institutions of higher education in New Jersey to pay prevailing wage rates for construction, repair, and maintenance work intended for their use. It expands the definition of "public work" to include projects under agreement to be purchased by public bodies and work paid for through "take-out financing." The bill ensures that workers on these projects, including those employed by entities associated with public institutions of higher education, receive the prevailing wage rate determined by the Commissioner of Labor and Workforce Development. This applies to construction, reconstruction, demolition, alteration, custom fabrication, and maintenance work done under contract with entities associated with public institutions.