Asm. Will Sampson

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's child care assistance program to include full-time graduate and post-graduate students who meet income, asset, and residency requirements and are enrolled full-time in good academic standing at a public or private college or university. Currently, the program covers only full-time undergraduate students pursuing associate's or bachelor's degrees. The state must update its eligibility rules and seek federal funding through the Child Care and Development Block Grant to cover the costs of this expansion. This change directly affects graduate and post-graduate students who are parents and rely on the program for child care support.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the time teachers can be away from service while maintaining membership in New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). It increases the standard discontinuance period from two to seven years, and extends the return-to-service window to 25 years for teachers who were laid off or voluntarily left with 10 or more years of service. Teachers returning within these extended timeframes will be re-enrolled in the TPAF at their previous tier with no additional contributions required. The changes apply to all current and future TPAF members who meet the specified conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public school districts to include instruction about the history and contributions of Latino and Hispanic Americans in Social Studies and English Language Arts curricula for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It mandates that school boards integrate this content as part of their existing implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. The Commissioner of Education must provide sample lesson resources and activities to support schools, developed with input from the Commission on Latino and Hispanic Heritage. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires landlords in New Jersey to disclose lead drinking water hazards to tenants before lease agreements, including information about lead service lines, building construction dates (pre-1986 properties may contain lead), and recent lead exceedance notices. Landlords must provide a standardized disclosure statement within 90 days of the bill's effective date, with exemptions for newer buildings (post-1986), lead-safe properties, and seasonal rentals. Tenants can request free lead testing from water systems, which must test annually upon request (or every 60 days if lead levels exceed standards), and landlords cannot obstruct replacement of lead service lines - tenants may terminate leases without penalty if obstruction occurs. Violations carry fines up to $1,000 for repeated non-compliance.

Maddy summaryThe "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act" (S 3309) requires used car dealers to check for open recalls on vehicles before sale using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website and provide prospective buyers with printed recall information if any are found. Dealers cannot sell vehicles subject to stop-sale or do-not-drive notices issued by NHTSA. The bill mandates dealers to report vehicles with unresolved recalls (for which repairs remain uncompleted six months after initial notice) to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission every 180 days, prompting the Commission to send notices directly to vehicle owners. For vehicles with unavailable parts for recalls, dealers receive monthly compensation equal to 1.75% of the vehicle's value until repairs are completed.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1682) requires New Jersey public school districts to include instruction on labor history in social studies curricula for students in grades 6 through 12. It mandates teaching four specific topics: the history of organized labor, notable historical strikes, unionization drives, and the collective bargaining process with workplace legal protections. The Commissioner of Education must provide age-appropriate lesson resources to help schools implement this requirement. The policy applies to all school districts under the state's existing social studies learning standards, beginning with the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new requirements for school counselors in New Jersey. It mandates that school counseling programs at colleges must incorporate the American School Counselor Association's model and include training in social-emotional learning and career planning. School counselors (defined as those with a NJ certification and endorsement) must provide services addressing students' academic, career, social, and emotional needs, and complete required professional development in areas like mental health awareness, trauma-informed practices, and cultural competency. The bill also creates a new State School Counselor Liaison position within the Department of Education to support school districts and advance comprehensive counseling services. These changes directly affect school counselors, school districts, and higher education institutions offering counseling certification programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits the "sweepstakes model of wagering" in New Jersey, which typically involves people paying to enter contests where they might win prizes. It establishes civil penalties of up to $100,000 for the first offense and $250,000 for subsequent offenses against operators of unlawful gambling operations. The bill creates limited exceptions for sweepstakes that offer free entry options, tie non-free entries to purchasing low-value merchandise under $20, disclose rules and odds clearly, and don't base winners on sports events (unless all entries are free). It also updates gambling definitions to cover online wagering, expands prohibitions against rigging sports events, and assigns enforcement to the Division of Consumer Affairs (for sweepstakes) and Division of Gaming Enforcement (for other gambling violations).

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to provide up to $6.8 million in low-interest loans to local governments for specific hazard mitigation and resilience projects in fiscal year 2026. It directly affects three municipalities - Jersey City (McGovern Park Resilience), Highlands Borough (flood mitigation), and Brick Township (reservoir improvements) - by financing portions of their eligible projects. The loans, repayable within 30 years, are funded through the Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program (CHAMP) Revolving Loan Fund, with repayment proceeds reinvested to support future projects. The bill ensures projects align with state hazard mitigation requirements and the federal STORM Act framework.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3974 prohibits substance use disorder treatment providers from using deceptive marketing practices. The bill requires all advertising to include accurate, plain-language details about services, locations, and contact information (including phone numbers and addresses), and bans false claims about network status, geographic location, or affiliations with other providers without written consent. Violations carry civil penalties up to $20,000 per incident, and affected individuals may sue for triple damages plus attorney fees. This directly affects licensed treatment facilities, certified providers, and recovery residences offering substance use disorder services within the state.