Asm. Eliana Pintor Marin

Maddy summaryThis bill extends civil immunity to New Jersey first responders (including volunteer fire departments, emergency squads, EMTs, and medical personnel) who forcibly enter homes, businesses, or structures during emergencies. It applies when responders reasonably believe entry is necessary for emergency medical care or to prevent imminent harm, and no property occupant responds to entry requests within a reasonable time. The immunity covers civil damages from such entries but excludes liability for motor vehicle operations or willful/wanton misconduct. It amends multiple existing statutes to codify this protection across various emergency service roles.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Food Desert Elimination Act" to incentivize supermarkets and grocery stores (18,000+ sq ft) to open in designated "food desert communities" - areas with limited access to fresh food, identified using USDA and CDC data. It provides property tax-based tax credits to businesses that open their *first* supermarket or grocery store in a designated food desert community, covering the full property tax assessed by the municipality for three years after opening. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will designate up to 75 initial food desert communities, prioritizing areas with high poverty and limited healthy food access. This directly affects low-income residents in these communities by aiming to improve access to nutritious food through new retail options.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey public school districts to provide annual training on trauma-informed education to all teaching staff and school board members. The training aims to help educators recognize and address the impacts of adverse childhood experiences (like abuse, household instability, or violence) on students' learning and well-being. School districts must use guidelines developed by the state Department of Education, which will cover identifying trauma signs in students, classroom strategies, and supporting staff affected by secondary trauma. The bill takes effect in the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill raises penalties for stealing scrap metal from transportation systems like bridges, rail lines, or highways. It specifies that such theft is now graded as a third-degree crime if the value is under $75,000 (previously it might have been a lower-level offense), and removes the automatic presumption against imprisonment for this specific violation. The law directly affects individuals who steal scrap metal from public infrastructure, including metal from roads, transit systems, or transportation equipment. The key change is explicitly adding transportation system scrap metal theft to the list of offenses that trigger higher penalties, rather than treating it as standard property theft.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to determine and consider the lowest reasonable return on equity (ROE) when reviewing requests from electric, gas, and water utilities for rate increases. It directly affects these public utilities, as they must now justify rate changes based on the lowest reasonable ROE rather than higher profit margins. The BPU must develop or adopt analytic models reflecting state, federal, and industry standards to calculate this lowest reasonable ROE. The policy change applies to all future rate cases filed with the BPU after the law takes effect, ensuring rate adjustments are evaluated with this specific financial standard.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A 2142) allows married couples, domestic partners, or civil union partners to share up to 12 weeks of family leave benefits when welcoming a newborn or adopted child. Eligible employees can divide the leave weeks between them as they choose, rather than taking it all consecutively. The total benefit amount is calculated as six times the weekly benefit of the higher-earning partner for the first six weeks, plus six times the weekly benefit of the lower-earning partner for the next six weeks. This applies to benefits paid under the state's temporary disability insurance program for family leave related to a single birth or adoption. The bill is pending before the Assembly Labor Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 2140) requires New Jersey to reimburse counties for holiday pay costs when county employees perform state services on holidays recognized by the county but not by the state. It applies to county employees working on "county holidays" (paid days off granted by counties) while performing tasks supporting state government, where the state does not recognize the day as a holiday. Counties must first pay employees holiday pay (1.5x base hourly rate), then apply to the state for reimbursement of the amount exceeding base salary. The state reimburses counties, and counties must deduct this reimbursement amount from their next year's tax levy. Counties may also count anticipated reimbursements in their budget planning.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires landlords of properties used for child care services (like daycares caring for 6+ children under 13) to install and maintain NSF/ANSI-certified water filters at all fixtures used for drinking, food, or baby formula if they refuse to allow public water systems to replace lead service lines. Landlords must certify annual filter compliance to the Department of Environmental Protection and face civil penalties of up to $500 per day for violations. The requirement applies until lead lines are replaced and for six months afterward, with tenants able to seek court-ordered rent escrow if landlords fail to act. The bill targets lead exposure risks in child care settings where landlords block infrastructure upgrades.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $3 million annually from the General Fund to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for the State Mosquito Control Commission. The funds will directly support local governments by providing financial assistance for mosquito control activities, research, administration, and operations at the county level. The commission distributes these resources to county mosquito control agencies, which typically operate under local government authority.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to restore in-person service levels to 2019 standards by increasing staffing, expanding service hours, and adjusting appointment scheduling. Specifically, the MVC Chief Administrator must report staffing needs within 15 days and demonstrate progress on hiring, service hours, and reducing wait time differences (to no more than three days across service types) within 90 days. The bill expires when full-time staffing and service volumes return to 2019 levels or on the final day of the fourth state fiscal year after enactment, whichever comes first. It directly affects MVC operations and New Jersey residents seeking motor vehicle services.