Asm. Mike Inganamort

Maddy summaryAJR 228 designates the first Sunday in May each year as "Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Day" in New Jersey to honor volunteer and career firefighters who died in the line of duty. The bill requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public observance and urges all state and local government agencies to fly the U.S. and New Jersey flags at half-staff on this day. It directly affects New Jersey residents through state and local government actions, referencing 145 on-duty firefighter fatalities reported in the state between 1990 and 2024. The resolution is purely ceremonial, aligning New Jersey's observance with the existing National Fallen Firefighters Memorial Service Day recognized by the federal government.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A5772, the "Uniform Electronic Wills Act," authorizes individuals to create legally valid wills using digital tools. The bill requires electronic wills to be readable text at signing, signed by the person making the will (or someone acting under their direction), and witnessed by two people physically present with them - remote witnessing is not permitted. It also establishes procedures for notarization, self-proving affidavits, and creating certified paper copies, while ensuring electronic wills are treated equally to paper wills under state law. The law applies immediately to wills of people who die after its effective date.

Maddy summaryThe Anthony's Legacy Act (A4989) requires New Jersey courts to give special consideration to grandparents applying for visitation rights if they are Gold Star family members - defined as relatives (such as spouses, parents, children, or legal guardians) of service members who died while on active military duty due to enemy action, accident, or disease. Currently, courts evaluate visitation applications based on factors like the child-grandparent relationship and family dynamics, but this bill mandates that Gold Star grandparents receive heightened attention under those considerations. The law does not alter the existing requirement that applicants must still prove visitation serves the child's best interests. It directly affects grandparents who lost a family member in military service when seeking court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens regulation of cooperative sober living residences (facilities for individuals recovering from addiction) by increasing civil penalties for violations from $5,000 to $25,000, requiring two annual unannounced inspections, and mandating public posting of licensed facility locations. It establishes new reporting requirements for serious incidents like injuries, deaths, or outbreaks, and requires facilities to employ on-site staff qualified in addiction recovery, prohibit alcohol/drug use with random testing, and provide counseling services. The bill appropriates $100,000 for implementation and amends the 1979 Rooming and Boarding House Act to create specific regulatory standards for these facilities. These changes directly affect operators of cooperative sober living residences and their residents.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires owners and operators of rooming and boarding houses to follow local zoning, fire, health, and building regulations - previously exempt from such oversight. It specifically adds a requirement for cooperative sober living residences to submit written approvals from local authorities (zoning, fire, health, and building) when applying for a state Class F license. The bill amends existing law to explicitly subject these facilities to municipal land use regulations, removing an exemption that previously prevented such oversight. These changes directly affect property owners and operators of these housing types in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey bill A4753 requires hospitals and birthing facilities to show new parents (and any adult family members present at birth) a water safety video before discharge. The video covers drowning risks in bathtubs and pools, importance of swimming instruction, life jacket use, and pool safety features like fences. Facilities must incorporate this video into standard discharge procedures, with the Department of Health creating and distributing the video via its website or electronic means. This applies to all licensed birthing facilities providing newborn care in the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows parents or guardians to file a guardianship complaint for a minor up to six months before the minor turns 18, establishing a clear timeframe for these filings. It ensures any guardianship order only takes effect on the minor's 18th birthday to prevent gaps in legal protection during the transition to adulthood. The bill also specifies that guardianship complaints cannot be withdrawn without evidence the minor has capacity or has died. This change aims to streamline the process for minors who will need guardianship upon reaching adulthood.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Transportation (DOT) to add specific details to its annual pavement condition report, including the number of pothole repair projects, their costs, allocated resources, and estimated timeframes for all maintenance work. It also mandates a lifecycle cost analysis of pavement surfaces, factoring in user expenses like vehicle damage claims from potholes and associated repair costs recorded by the Division of Risk Management. Both the updated annual report and the lifecycle analysis must be published online for public access. The changes aim to increase transparency about road maintenance efforts and costs without altering current repair practices.

Maddy summaryAJR 45 designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day" in New Jersey. It requires the Governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and residents to observe the day through appropriate activities. The resolution highlights that nearly one million U.S. women become widowed annually, with 70% of married women experiencing widowhood in their lifetime, and many facing ongoing financial, legal, and health challenges. This is a symbolic designation without new legal requirements or funding.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly passed ACR 166, a concurrent resolution urging Congress to adopt the federal "Fix Our Forests Act." The resolution highlights that New Jersey experiences about 1,500 wildfires annually, damaging 7,000 acres of forests and threatening residents, homes, and wildlife habitats. It explains the proposed federal bill would establish a data-driven wildfire risk assessment center to guide forest management practices like prescribed burns and tree thinning. The resolution does not change state law but seeks federal action to reduce wildfire risks through improved forest management strategies.