Asm. Barbara McCann Stamato

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new criminal offense for stealing delivered packages from residential properties ("residential package theft"), separate from general theft laws. It sets penalties: a third-degree crime (under $75,000 stolen) with no standard presumption against jail time for first offenses, and a second-degree crime ($75,000+ stolen) requiring mandatory minimum prison time for repeat offenses, plus fines up to $250,000 or five times the package's value. The bill establishes a "Porch Theft Task Force" under the Attorney General to coordinate law enforcement, track theft data, and collaborate with delivery companies, and mandates a public awareness campaign to educate residents on prevention and reporting. It also appropriates state funds to implement these measures.

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement benefits of certain retired police and firefighters in New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). It applies specifically to members who have been retired and receiving benefits for at least 10 years, excluding those hired after the bill's effective date, those in deferred retirement, and those with 20-24 years of service. The COLAs are tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, with benefits up to $75,000 receiving full adjustment, while higher benefits are capped at a 1% annual increase. The $75,000 threshold will adjust annually based on inflation, and the bill requires the Legislature to appropriate funds to cover both state and local costs for these adjustments.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) to provide current non-retired members and those applying for retirement after the bill's effective date with the same benefits as members enrolled before July 1, 2007. It eliminates tiered membership by moving all current TPAF members to Tier 1, requires public employers to enroll eligible employees (earning above minimum salary but not meeting hour requirements) in TPAF, and allows Defined Contribution Retirement Program participants to transfer service credit to TPAF without transferring contributions. Participants in the Defined Contribution Retirement Program have six months to opt out of the transfer after receiving notice. These changes apply only to retirement applications processed after the bill becomes law.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends New Jersey's requirement that public bodies (like municipalities and school districts) may use newspapers for official public notices and legal advertisements - such as meeting schedules, bid solicitations, or ordinance publications - through March 1, 2025. It allows newspapers to be used regardless of format (print or digital) during this period, without charging extra fees for viewing digital notices or exceeding existing publication rates. The law ensures continuity for public notice requirements that previously had a deadline, covering both physical and electronic newspaper formats. It applies specifically to notices required under state law for public transparency.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey financial institutions (including banks, credit unions, and mortgage servicers) to allow mortgage borrowers to choose biweekly payments (every two weeks), bimonthly payments (twice monthly), and extra payments toward their mortgage principal without penalties. It directly affects homeowners with mortgages secured by residential properties (1-6 units) in New Jersey. The key provision mandates that any overpayment in biweekly plans must reduce the principal balance, while bimonthly payments must equal half the monthly amount. The law applies to all new mortgage agreements signed six months after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5140) increases penalties for businesses, public facilities, and transportation providers who deny access to service dogs and their handlers. Currently, violators face civil fines ($250-$1,000 for repeat offenses), but this bill makes first violations criminal offenses (petty disorderly persons, up to 30 days jail or $500 fine) and subsequent violations criminal (disorderly persons, up to 1 year jail or $1,000 fine). It applies to public facilities, New Jersey Transit (NJT), and transportation network companies (like ride-sharing services). Penalties collected fund law enforcement training on service dog rights, and the Attorney General must launch a public awareness campaign. The bill takes effect immediately.

Maddy summary# Summary of New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Bill This legislative bill amends New Jersey's unemployment insurance (UI) laws to make several significant changes: 1. **Expanded Dependent Coverage**: Adds disabled, unmarried adult children of UI claimants (whose disability began before age 22) to the dependents counted when calculating weekly benefit amounts. 2. **Student Eligibility**: Removes the current requirement that claimants must have earned sufficient wages while enrolled in full-time education. Eligible individuals who are students in full-time attendance or on vacation from an educational institution are no longer deemed ineligible for UI benefits, provided they remain available for work. 3. **Training Program Eligibility**: Shifts provisions allowing UI benefits for participants in department-approved training programs from being an exception to being a standard eligibility circumstance, with participation required to align with existing provisions. 4. **Electronic Communication**: Allows claimants to request electronic notification of their initial benefit determination. 5. **Appeal Process**: Clarifies that benefits paid pending appeal are based on the initial determination until the appeal tribunal makes a decision, after which benefits are paid according to the appeal tribunal's decision. 6. **Overpayment Rules**: Removes the requirement that employers be charged for overpayments before appeal resolution. It also revises overpayment repayment rules to provide full waiver if the overpayment was caused by department or employer error (without claimant misrepresentation), or if the claimant is deceased, disabled, or recovery would be contrary to equity and good conscience. 7. **Average Weekly Wage Calculation**: Changes how average weekly wage is calculated to be based on wages with all base year employers (not just the most recent employer), with the total number of base weeks limited to 52. 8. **Extended Benefits**: Modifies requirements for claimants disqualified due to misconduct or failure to accept suitable work, requiring only completion of regular UI disqualification period rather than earning four times the weekly benefit rate. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to develop electronic access for claimants to view their benefit payment status and history. Sections 4 and 6 of the bill apply retroactively to July 31, 2023, effectively making it as if the provisions they replace (added by P.L.2022, c.120) never took effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow restaurants and licensed alcoholic beverage retailers (including bars, wineries, breweries, and distilleries) to operate in designated outdoor spaces adjacent to their business premises, including on public sidewalks. It creates a "premises expansion permit" process requiring applications to either the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control (for licensed businesses) or municipal zoning officers (for restaurants without alcohol licenses), with requirements for security plans and property descriptions. Municipalities may regulate hours of operation but must allow outdoor service outside specific hours (10pm-11am on Sundays-Wednesdays, and 12am-11am on Thurs-Sat), and cannot prohibit outdoor service for businesses already operating under legal or disciplinary restrictions. The bill specifies that State-owned rights-of-way require separate approval from the New Jersey Department of Transportation, with setback requirements for roads intersecting state highways.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 2652 revises laws to better protect children from sexual exploitation. It creates a civil right for victims (or their guardians/advocacy groups) to sue perpetrators for three times the profits gained from distributing child sexual abuse material, holding both individuals and corporate employees personally liable. The bill also expands sex offender registration requirements to include anyone working with children in schools or jobs for over 14 consecutive days, clarifies which offenses trigger registration (like creating or sharing exploitative material), and adds a limited exception for juvenile-created nude photos under strict conditions. These changes directly affect victims of child exploitation, perpetrators, and institutions that facilitate such abuse. The law passed unanimously in 2024 (P.L.2024, c.92).

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes public-private partnerships to develop artificial intelligence (AI) job training programs in New Jersey. It allows private entities to design and deliver AI-related training for two groups: displaced workers (those losing jobs due to AI adoption) and current workers seeking to upgrade their skills. Under the bill, private partners assume full financial and administrative responsibility for these programs while being exempt from standard state procurement rules and prevailing wage requirements. The Department of Labor will review training proposals, require annual progress reports from an advisory council, and ensure programs are publicly advertised. The goal is to strengthen the state's workforce competitiveness in the AI sector through targeted training.