Asm. Shanique Speight

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how health insurers in New Jersey calculate their minimum loss ratio requirements for individual and small employer health plans. It requires insurers to use a three-year rolling average instead of annual calculations and expands the numerator to include both claims paid and spending on quality improvement initiatives. Insurers must exclude new state or federal taxes from premium calculations when determining if they meet the 80% minimum loss ratio threshold. These changes apply to all health insurance carriers offering plans in these markets, directly affecting how they report and adjust premiums to comply with consumer protection rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases tax credit amounts for businesses and developers working on historic property rehabilitation and brownfield redevelopment projects in New Jersey. For historic properties in designated areas (qualified incentive tracts or government-restricted municipalities), the maximum credit rises to 60% of rehabilitation costs or $12 million (up from 45%/ $8 million). For brownfield remediation projects in similar areas, the credit increases to 80% of costs or $12 million (up from 60%/$8 million). The bill also allows up to 50% of available credits to be allocated specifically for facade rehabilitation projects, with a maximum $4 million credit per project.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow New Jersey school districts without a board of school estimate to request additional funding for the next school year through a special election, rather than only at the annual school election. Currently, districts can only request additional funds for the current budget year at the annual election. Under this bill, districts could propose raising taxes for the following year at special elections held in January, March, September, or December, with proposals needing to specify how funds would be used and whether approval would create a permanent tax increase. Districts could only submit one such proposal per school year, and this would not prevent them from also voting on capital projects at the same election.

Maddy summaryS 2822 increases the maximum contingency attorney fee cap in New Jersey workers' compensation cases from 20% to 25% of the settlement or award amount. This directly affects attorneys representing injured workers who typically work on a contingency basis (paid only if they win the case). The bill amends R.S. 34:15-64 to adjust this fee limit, which has not been updated since its original establishment. The change applies to all pending and future workers' compensation claims after enactment.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's "Design Professional Self-Certification Act" (A4360, now law as P.L.2024, c.58) creates a program allowing licensed architects and professional engineers to self-certify that certain construction projects comply with building codes. It directly affects qualified design professionals who can now submit construction permit applications with self-certification forms for eligible projects (like renovations under specific size limits for residential or commercial buildings), bypassing full code reviews by local agencies. Local building departments must then conduct a simple "supervisory check" to confirm all required documents are present and issue permits - same as before - within 1-5 days. This applies only to projects not excluded (e.g., structural alterations requiring special inspections, new kitchens, or electrical upgrades over 400 amps), with the Department of Community Affairs setting qualification rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows members of New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS) to purchase retirement credit for prior service as a class two special law enforcement officer with a public employer in the state. To qualify, the member must have worked in that role and then started a PFRS-covered position within 120 days of ending that service. Members can purchase up to 10 years of credit by paying the cost, calculated based on their salary and an actuarial factor, with current members having one year from the bill's effective date to apply. This change aligns the process for purchasing such credit with existing rules for federal or military service.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts to provide reading intervention programs for kindergarten through third-grade students who show reading deficiencies, as identified by approved assessments. The programs must use a data-driven, multi-tiered system of supports to deliver explicit instruction in phonics, fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension while monitoring student progress throughout the year. School districts must adopt scientifically based instructional materials, and the Department of Education must provide age-appropriate resources and develop an evaluation process for the program. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates an independent "Office of the Learning Loss Czar" within New Jersey's Department of Education to address pandemic-related learning gaps. The office will identify effective educational strategies (especially for students of color, low-income students, and students with disabilities), build a public resource bank of these tools, and provide school districts with technical assistance, grant support, and partnerships to implement solutions. It does not create new funding but coordinates existing resources and research. The Learning Loss Czar, appointed by the Governor, will lead this effort while operating independently from the Department of Education. The bill directly affects all New Jersey public school districts and students impacted by pandemic learning disruptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes civil penalties on New Jersey employers who threaten or disclose an employee's immigration status to prevent them from reporting violations of state labor, wage, or tax laws. Employers face escalating fines: up to $1,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for subsequent violations, with each affected employee counted as a separate violation. It directly affects employers who use immigration status as coercion - such as threatening to report an undocumented worker to hide unpaid wages or benefits - to avoid accountability under laws like the State Wage and Hour Law or Gross Income Tax Act. The penalties apply in addition to any existing penalties for the underlying labor violation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Child Care Revitalization Act to restrict $54.5 million in federal funds to licensed child care centers only, removing previous language that would have included registered family child care homes. It ensures facilities improvement grants - ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 - are available solely to licensed centers (not family child care providers) for projects like facility upgrades. The change formalizes an existing exclusion, as family child care providers were never eligible in the initial grant phase. The bill, signed into law as P.L.2024, c.50, directly affects licensed child care centers seeking federal recovery funds for physical improvements.