Rep. Jerry Walker

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey municipalities that have established an arts and culture trust fund to temporarily redirect money collected from local taxes into their general operating funds. Specifically, it permits the use of funds originally set aside for open space, recreation, floodplain protection, farmland preservation, and historic preservation during fiscal year 2027. The measure applies only to unspent money from previous years and requires the municipality to have an existing arts and culture fund to qualify for this temporary flexibility.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey municipalities with over 100,000 residents to impose a 3.5% tax on parking fees at public facilities to fund pedestrian access improvements for mass transit stations. It also modifies how parking penalty fines are distributed, directing a fixed amount or a percentage to municipal courts in rapidly growing cities to cover administrative costs. Additionally, the legislation permits cities with large commercial airports to levy a tax on vehicle rentals occurring within designated industrial zones. These changes apply only to specific municipalities meeting population and growth criteria and exclude private residential parking from the new parking tax.

Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the "End Data Center Tax Credits Act," sets a combined nine-year spending cap of $11.5 billion for various state tax credit programs, including those for economic recovery, arts, and manufacturing. It specifically reduces the amount of credits available under the Next New Jersey Program and directs $200 million of those credits to a housing agency through competitive auctions. Additionally, the legislation authorizes the Board of Public Utilities to issue tax credits for energy storage projects and creates a temporary income tax credit for certain residential electricity customers.

Maddy summaryThis bill introduces New Jersey into the Athletic Trainer Compact, a national agreement designed to allow licensed athletic trainers to practice across multiple member states without needing separate licenses in each location. The legislation establishes a commission to oversee the program and creates a streamlined process where qualified professionals can work in other states while still adhering to the specific rules and scope of practice of the state where the patient is located. Key provisions include mutual recognition of licenses, support for military families relocating, and the use of telehealth to expand access to care. By adopting this compact, New Jersey aims to increase workforce mobility and public access to athletic training services while maintaining state authority over public health and safety.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows for-profit movie theaters in New Jersey to obtain a license to sell alcoholic beverages on their premises. The license would permit the sale of alcohol during the two hours before a first-run movie screening and throughout the screening itself, subject to approval by the municipal governing board and the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Movie theaters must apply for this license annually and pay an initial fee of at least $210,000, which is reduced to $150,000 if 10 percent or more of the alcohol sold comes from local craft producers. The license is restricted to use only at the theater location and cannot be transferred to other premises.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies protections for patients and providers accessing or offering legally permitted reproductive and gender-affirming health care in New Jersey. It prohibits obstructing or intimidating individuals at facilities providing these services - including blocking entrances, causing reasonable fear of harm, or threatening violence. The law defines "legally protected health care activity" to cover all such services lawful in New Jersey, regardless of a patient’s location, and applies to both in-state residents and out-of-state patients seeking care here. It expands existing safeguards by explicitly banning physical obstructions and threats at facilities offering these services.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Human Services (DHS) to create a web-based tool and mobile app to help residents meet new work requirements for NJ FamilyCare and SNAP programs. It directs DHS to partner with the Governor's Office of Volunteerism to build a searchable database of approved volunteer opportunities that count toward the 80-hour monthly community service requirement for NJ FamilyCare (affecting 1.8 million recipients) and expanded SNAP work rules (affecting 425,000 households). The system will allow beneficiaries to find, register for, and document volunteer hours online, with annual audits to verify compliance. The law aims to prevent beneficiaries from losing coverage due to administrative hurdles under federal changes to these safety-net programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires data center owners and operators in New Jersey to submit semi-annual reports to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) detailing their water and energy usage. The reports must include specific metrics like total energy consumption (including cooling), water sources, and efficiency calculations such as "water usage effectiveness" (water used per computing task) and "energy reuse factor" (heat reused outside the facility). Data centers that receive state financial incentives must also report additional sustainability metrics, including average cooling temperatures and renewable energy usage. The law applies to all data centers operating in the state, with initial reports due 3-6 months after the bill takes effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Hudson County to return up to $28.1 million in unspent state funds from fiscal years 2023 through 2025, which were originally allocated for jail operations and correctional facility renovations. The county must transfer these unexpended balances to the State Treasurer by June 30, 2026, for deposit into the Property Tax Relief Fund. In exchange for returning the money, the bill authorizes the state to provide a supplemental appropriation of up to $28.1 million to Hudson County as general operating aid. The total amount of this new aid cannot exceed the sum of the unspent funds returned by the county and is subject to approval by the Director of the Division of Budget and Accounting.

Maddy summaryThis bill restructures the governance of New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program by creating a new State Health Benefits Commission with 13 members. The commission will include existing state officials, representatives from local and higher education employers, and members appointed by various public employee unions, including specific seats for police and firefighters. A key provision is the addition of a non-voting expert member selected by the other commissioners to provide independent advice on health care plan design. The bill also establishes a new committee to assist with plan design and outlines how members will be appointed, serve terms, and manage conflicts of interest. Ultimately, the legislation aims to broaden representation and oversight in how the state manages health benefits for its employees.