Asm. Eliana Pintor Marin

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's Long Term Tax Exemption Law to require municipal tax collectors who receive payments in lieu of taxes from urban renewal projects to directly transmit 5% of those payments to counties on specific dates (February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1), with the remittance due on the 15th of each month when tax installments are paid. Municipalities that fail to make these payments on time must pay 1% monthly interest on the unpaid balance, plus legal fees and court costs. The bill affects municipal tax collectors, counties receiving the funds, and urban renewal entities that make these payments. This change ensures more timely and direct county receipt of the 5% remittance required by the law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires new flooring installed in schools (K-12) and licensed childcare centers to be certified as mercury-free by the manufacturer before a construction permit can be issued. For renovations involving existing flooring, applicants must either provide certification that current flooring is mercury-free (pending health department rules) or confirm it will be removed before new flooring is installed. Manufacturers falsely claiming mercury-free flooring face civil penalties of $10,000 for a first offense and $25,000 for repeat violations. The bill directly affects construction projects in these facilities and establishes a process for health department certification of mercury-free flooring.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to determine and consider the lowest reasonable rate of return on a utility's investment when approving rate increases for electric, gas, and water utilities. The BPU must develop or adopt an analytic model based on state, federal, and industry standards to identify this lowest rate. The bill affects all electric, gas, and water public utilities in New Jersey and their customers by changing how rate cases are evaluated. It mandates that the lowest reasonable return be a key factor in determining if rate increases are fair, without setting a specific rate or guaranteeing outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5440) requires New Jersey state agencies like the Department of Community Affairs, Department of Human Services, and the Board of Public Utilities to review and potentially raise income limits for residential customers to qualify for utility bill payment assistance and energy efficiency programs. It mandates that these agencies increase the income thresholds within one year of the bill's effective date. Agencies may seek public input or collaborate with other departments to determine appropriate increases. The change would directly help low-to-moderate income households by expanding eligibility for programs that reduce energy costs. The bill expires once the required income threshold increases are finalized.

Maddy summaryBill A4163 requires health insurers in New Jersey to cover biomarker testing for diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of diseases when supported by medical evidence such as FDA approvals, drug labels, or clinical guidelines. The bill applies to all health insurance plans including individual, group, Medicaid, and health maintenance organization contracts. Insurers must provide coverage without causing unnecessary disruption (like multiple biopsies) and must make prior authorization decisions within 24 hours for urgent requests or 72 hours for non-urgent requests. This ensures patients can access precision medical testing that's clinically supported without excessive administrative barriers.

Maddy summary# Summary of New Jersey Film and Digital Media Tax Credit Program Bill This bill significantly revises New Jersey's film and digital media production tax credit program, extending its availability until July 2049 (10 years longer than current law) and making several key enhancements: ## Key Changes 1. **Increased Tax Credit Rates**: - Raises tax credits for New Jersey studio partners/film-lease production companies from 35% to 40% of qualified film production expenses for expenses incurred within a 30-mile radius of a specific NYC location - Adds a 5% tax credit for television series that relocated to New Jersey (defined as series with all prior seasons filmed outside NJ) 2. **Competitive Adjustment**: - If neighboring states offer larger tax credits, New Jersey will increase credits for productions in the specified NYC area to at least 45% of qualified expenses 3. **Expanded Credit Application**: - Allows tax liability to be reduced below zero (previously not permitted) - Permits carry-forward of unused credits to future tax periods - Allows credit use in the tax period issued or subsequent periods without amending prior returns 4. **Increased Funding Limits**: - Raises maximum cumulative awards to $300 million for studio partners and $250 million for film-lease production companies (from $150 million each) - Decreases additional discretionary awards to $250 million for studio partners and $150 million for film-lease production companies 5. **New Promotional Credit**: - Adds a 2% promotional credit for productions meeting specific New Jersey promotion criteria (e.g., featuring NJ locations, social media posts, promotional logo placement) 6. **Simplified Diversity Credit**: - Streamlines the diversity credit structure - now a consistent 4% credit for film production expenses (previously required additional requirements for 4% vs. 2% credit) 7. **Enhanced Definitions**: - Creates new definition for "New Jersey film-lease post-production company" - Amends definitions of "commitment period" and "eligibility period" to provide greater flexibility - Expands "qualified film production expenses" to include script costs 8. **Recapture Rules**: - Clarifies recapture applies only to initial recipients (not purchasers/assignees of tax credit transfer certificates) - Provides flexibility for studio partners who fail to occupy facilities due to circumstances outside their control 9. **Expanded Applicability**: - Allows tax credits to be applied against insurance premium tax liability (in addition to existing tax liabilities) The bill aims to strengthen New Jersey's competitiveness in attracting film and digital media productions while promoting New Jersey as a filming destination through enhanced promotional requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires parties in civil lawsuits to disclose any third-party litigation funding agreements to the court and all parties at the time of filing or when the agreement is made. It establishes that litigation funders must act in the best interest of the funded party (a fiduciary duty), prohibits them from influencing case decisions or taking more than 25% of settlement proceeds (with a combined 50% cap including attorney fees), and bans them from offering legal advice or assigning funding agreements. Funders become jointly liable for costs or sanctions against the funded party, and agreements violating these rules become unenforceable. The bill directly affects civil case participants and third-party funders by increasing transparency and limiting funders' control over litigation outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey State Police to verify whether a person has an unprocessed expungement order before releasing their criminal history background check. If an expungement order exists but hasn't been reflected in the system, the State Bureau of Identification must update the record to show the expungement prior to dissemination. This ensures individuals with court-ordered expungements are not incorrectly listed as having criminal records. The bill directly affects people seeking background checks for employment, licensing, or volunteer opportunities who have had expungement orders granted but not yet processed by the State Police.

Maddy summaryThis bill restructures New Jersey's electric and gas utility industries by allowing electric utilities to choose whether to own and operate generation facilities. If an electric utility elects to own generation, it must file updated tariffs with the Board of Public Utilities for approval, after which customers can no longer choose alternative power suppliers through retail choice. Similarly, gas utilities can discontinue retail choice for residential customers by filing updated tariffs with the Board of Public Utilities. The bill also establishes a new certificate process requiring utilities to obtain Board approval before constructing new electric facilities, including public hearings and environmental assessments, and includes specific provisions for handling costs related to utility accidents.

Maddy summaryThe "Climate Superfund Act" would hold fossil fuel companies liable for climate change damages by requiring them to pay compensatory payments based on their historical greenhouse gas emissions. It targets companies that extracted or refined fossil fuels and are responsible for over one billion metric tons of emissions between 1995 and the bill's effective date. The bill establishes a program through New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection to collect these payments and distribute funds for climate adaptation projects, such as flood protection, infrastructure upgrades, and health programs. Companies would pay their proportional share of damages over nine years, with options for installment payments, and the collected funds would specifically support projects that help communities prepare for climate impacts.