Asm. Eliana Pintor Marin

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2039) upgrades penalties for endangering individuals with disabilities or elderly people under New Jersey law. It expands the current law - which only applied to "developmental disabilities" - to cover all disabilities defined by the Law Against Discrimination (including physical, mental, neurological conditions, and HIV/AIDS) and adds "elderly person" (60+ years). Under the bill, recklessly endangering such individuals becomes a fourth-degree crime (up to 18 months jail), knowingly causing serious injury becomes a third-degree crime (3-5 years), and knowingly risking death becomes a second-degree crime (5-10 years). The bill broadens protections for vulnerable groups beyond the existing scope of the 2015 statute.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey law to specifically address theft of scrap metal from transportation systems. It upgrades theft of scrap metal from transportation systems that causes serious bodily injury to others to a second-degree crime (with penalties of 5-10 years in prison), while making all other thefts of scrap metal from transportation systems under $75,000 a third-degree crime (with penalties of 3-5 years in prison). The bill also removes the presumption of nonimprisonment for first-time offenders of this specific offense. This affects individuals who steal scrap metal from infrastructure including public highways, transit systems, and other transportation projects. The bill changes the grading of these thefts from what appears to be a lower offense under current law to more serious criminal charges.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to create a program that studies the impact of the state's 2017 bail reform law, which eliminated cash bail for many cases. The program must track key metrics including: the number of people released pretrial, whether release numbers increased, crimes committed by released individuals, and changes in crime rates across urban, suburban, and rural areas. The AOC must publish annual, anonymized reports detailing these findings to the public, Governor, and Legislature. These reports will provide data to assess how the bail reform has affected pretrial release and public safety. The law does not change bail procedures but mandates ongoing analysis of their real-world effects.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs to establish a statewide initiative for the Red Sand Project, which will coincide with January (Human Trafficking Prevention Month). The initiative must be developed in consultation with the Commission on Human Trafficking. The Red Sand Project involves placing red sand in sidewalk cracks as a visible awareness symbol for human trafficking, which the Commission has previously identified as a mechanism to promote public awareness. The Attorney General may use funds from the Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund to support this initiative.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers administration of all school meal programs in New Jersey from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Education. It covers programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and emergency meal distributions, which provide nutritious meals to students and children in childcare settings. The transfer includes all related functions, funding, staff, records, and existing rules (which remain in effect until replaced by the Department of Education). The change aims to align program management with the Department of Education’s mission of supporting student academic success through school-based services.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey registrars to issue certified electronic copies of vital records - including birth, death, marriage, civil union, and domestic partnership certificates - alongside paper copies upon request. It requires the Commissioner of Health to establish security standards for electronic copies, including identity verification, data encryption, and privacy protections. The change applies to authorized requesters (such as individuals, family members, or government agencies) who already qualify for paper certified copies under current law. Electronic copies must be distinguishable from non-certified informational versions and maintain the same authentication requirements as paper records.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to operate a real-time call center within the state, available weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., to help people navigate the MVC’s online website and complete transactions. It mandates that all assistance be provided in both English and Spanish, and allows the MVC to reduce staffing needs by adding web tutorials or recorded help messages. The MVC must also publish quarterly performance reports online detailing call volume, wait times, call purposes, and call durations. This directly affects MVC customers using online services, aiming to improve access to vehicle-related transactions.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A2053 requires the Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to create mandatory standards for publicly funded transitional housing programs supporting individuals recently released from prison. The bill mandates that these standards ensure resident safety, provide emergency and long-term housing, and include counseling services (like substance abuse treatment, job training, and medical care), personalized care plans for long-term inmates, and assistance securing permanent housing. These regulations must be developed in consultation with the Corrections Commissioner and will apply to all state-supported reentry housing programs. The bill takes immediate effect upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) and other relevant state departments (Health, Human Services, Education) to post links to "baby box" programs and safe sleep education on their official websites. Specifically, departments must provide easily printable information about the program and prominently display a clickable link to it, updating both as needed. The "baby box" referenced is a cardboard box containing newborn essentials (like diapers and wipes) and safe sleep resources, designed as a safe sleep environment for infants. The policy mandates that all these departments coordinate to ensure consistent public access to this information through their online platforms.

Maddy summaryThe Food Desert Elimination Act provides tax incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that open their first location in designated food desert communities across New Jersey. It offers a tax credit equal to the property taxes paid by the store for the first four years (initial opening plus three subsequent years) to businesses establishing the first supermarket or grocery store in a designated food desert area. The bill also creates a special permit allowing these stores to sell alcohol for off-premises consumption, with different rules than standard liquor licenses. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will designate up to 75 food desert communities based on criteria including poverty rates and access to healthy food. This program aims to increase access to fresh produce and nutritious food for residents in underserved communities.