Asm. Brian Bergen

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's tax code to provide a $6,000 gross income tax deduction for surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. It directly affects spouses who were married to a veteran at the time of their death, were living together continuously (with limited exceptions), and have not remarried or cohabited with another person in a spousal relationship. The deduction applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment and matches the existing $6,000 deduction available to veterans themselves. Eligibility requires the veteran to have died while on active duty, been honorably discharged, or been released under honorable circumstances from military service. The deduction remains available if the spouse remarries after age 57, or if the remarriage was void, annulled, or obtained without fraud.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow deer hunting on Sundays using a bow and arrow or firearm on federal military lands in New Jersey, provided hunters obtain prior approval from the relevant federal military authority. It amends New Jersey’s existing Sunday hunting ban to create a new exception specifically for federal military properties, which currently prohibit Sunday hunting under state law. The change does not apply to other lands, such as state parks or private property, and requires the military to grant permission for each hunting location.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides an additional $5,000 in down payment and closing cost assistance for eligible military service members purchasing primary residences in New Jersey, on top of existing state homebuyer programs. It specifically targets members of the U.S. Armed Forces, National Guard, or Reserve who served at least 90 days of active duty after 9/11 or during the 1990-1991 Gulf War period, were honorably discharged, or were discharged due to service-connected injuries. The New Jersey Housing and Mortgage Finance Agency would administer the program, with funds limited to available appropriations. Surviving spouses of eligible service members also qualify if they meet all other eligibility criteria.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution designates October 13, 2020 as "Metastatic Breast Cancer Awareness Day" in New Jersey. It officially recognizes this date to raise public awareness about metastatic breast cancer - a form of the disease that has spread and is incurable, with an average life expectancy of 18-36 months after diagnosis. The resolution directs the Governor to issue a proclamation encouraging public officials and citizens to observe the day through activities honoring organizations working on research and treatment for this condition. It does not create new laws or allocate funding, but serves as a ceremonial acknowledgment of the disease's impact.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases New Jersey's annual payment to certain veterans and their surviving spouses from $750 to $3,000. It directly affects veterans with specific service-connected disabilities, including total loss of sight, paraplegia, amputations, or permanent loss of use of limbs due to military service, as well as their surviving spouses. The payment change applies to veterans covered under existing laws (R.S. 38:18-2, 38:18A-2) and takes effect January 1 following the bill's passage. Currently, 207 individuals receive this benefit at the lower rate.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes property tax rules for public water infrastructure. Currently, improvements like dams, buildings, or other structures on publicly owned land used for water supply are exempt from taxation, while similar improvements on private land are taxed. The bill requires municipalities to tax these improvements on public water supply land at the same rate as on private land. This aligns public and private property tax treatment for water infrastructure, aiming to provide municipalities with additional tax revenue from such improvements.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts transfers of residential real property between family members who already co-own the property from New Jersey's inheritance tax. It adds a new exemption category (subsection k) to the tax code, specifically covering co-owned homes like single-family dwellings or condos shared by family members such as siblings, cousins, or parents and children. Currently, only transfers to spouses, children, or certain other close relatives are exempt; this bill expands that to include co-owners regardless of their specific family relationship. The exemption applies immediately to taxable years starting January 1 after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires that public employee pension benefits in New Jersey be calculated using only base salary - regular, periodic pay - as defined by employer policies - not overtime, bonuses, or other extra compensation like holiday pay, vacation pay, or retroactive raises. It explicitly excludes forms of "extra compensation" such as lump-sum payments for accumulated sick leave, pay for temporary duties, or individual salary adjustments made near retirement. Pension benefits will no longer include these excluded payments, and any contributions made on them must be refunded without interest. The Division of Pensions and Benefits will investigate cases where reported base salary appears to include such extra compensation.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to allow any member who participated in 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations to qualify for accidental disability retirement benefits if they develop a disability linked to that work. It presumes that health conditions from 9/11 exposure (like respiratory illnesses or PTSD) resulted from their duties if they worked at least eight hours at the site, or if they had a documented injury preventing further participation. Members who later retire on ordinary disability or service retirement can also seek recalculated benefits if they develop qualifying 9/11-related disabilities. The policy change applies to all PERS members, regardless of when they joined the system, removing previous restrictions that limited eligibility to specific roles like emergency medical technicians.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 57) urges New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to impose an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping activities off the New Jersey coast. It is prompted by the unexplained deaths of at least 12 whales (including 8 humpbacks) and 5 dolphins recorded near offshore wind development areas since December 2022. The resolution calls for pausing these activities to allow for scientific study of potential links between sonar/mapping technologies and the marine life deaths. As a resolution, it does not create law but formally requests federal and state agencies to halt related operations pending investigation.