Asm. Will Sampson

Maddy summaryThis bill would enter New Jersey into the Counseling Compact, an agreement allowing licensed professional counselors from New Jersey to practice in other member states without obtaining multiple licenses. The compact establishes a national commission to manage the agreement, share disciplinary information between states, and ensure counselors follow the laws of the state where their client is located. It would particularly benefit military personnel and their spouses who relocate frequently between states, as well as improve access to counseling services across state lines. Currently, 16 states have joined this compact, and New Jersey's participation would allow its licensed counselors to provide services in those states through a single license.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a pilot program in Union City, Trenton, and Camden to address open cockloft spaces between buildings through weatherization and energy efficiency improvements. It appropriates $30 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds ($10 million to each city) to cover the costs of installing fire-rated separations and other energy efficiency measures. Low- and moderate-income homeowners will receive these improvements at no cost, while other property owners may pay through a 10-year property tax special assessment. The program requires municipalities to conduct building inventories, implement safety measures, and report annually on the program's effectiveness to the legislature. The initiative aims to reduce energy costs, improve fire safety, and evaluate the feasibility of a broader statewide program.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill establishes two key mechanisms to address youth disconnection (young adults aged 16-24 not in school or employment): 1) A Youth Disconnection Prevention and Recovery Ombudsperson, appointed by the Governor and reporting to the Education Commissioner, to develop statewide strategies for preventing disconnection and reconnecting affected youth. 2) A 25-member School Disconnection Prevention Task Force, including school leaders, youth advocates, and agency representatives, to analyze causes of disconnection, research solutions, and recommend best practices to school districts. The Ombudsperson must annually report progress to the Governor and Legislature, while the Task Force must issue a final report within nine months of forming, with follow-up accountability for implementation. This directly affects over 100,000 disconnected youth identified in New Jersey, focusing on systemic prevention and reconnection through cross-agency collaboration.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Office of Supportive Action Functionality Experts (S.A.F.E.) within New Jersey's State Office of Emergency Management. The office would analyze risks and impacts of a widespread technology failure (like a major outage affecting communication, medical services, or transportation), develop response plans for essential services, and provide quarterly reports to the Governor and Legislature. It would also research technological dependencies, hold public hearings, and create public guides on preparing for such events. The bill directly affects state emergency management operations and planning, not individual citizens or private entities.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the governance and operations of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, a partnership among six state universities (including Rutgers and Rowan). It revises the board of directors to have 16 members with specific appointments to ensure political balance and diversity (e.g., two Governor appointments, one from each legislative leader, and representatives from media/tech sectors). The bill removes requirements for hiring program staff, updates grant rules to require university-community partnerships and a 10% funding match from universities, and allows unspent funds to carry over for multi-year grants. Grant projects must now align with six goals, including improving civic information access, enhancing government data tools, training media professionals, and serving underserved communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows certain drivers to renew their licenses online or by mail instead of in-person. It specifically applies to individuals with a valid commercial driver license who already hold a federal Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TSA) or a hazardous materials endorsement requiring TSA fingerprinting and background checks. These individuals have already met REAL-ID requirements through their existing federal credentials, so the bill removes the need for them to visit a Motor Vehicle Commission office to renew their licenses into REAL-ID compliant versions. This change aims to reduce wait times for in-person appointments while ensuring compliance with federal identification standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey public school districts serving grades 9-12 to include instruction on the risks of compulsive gambling within their Comprehensive Health and Physical Education curriculum. The instruction must cover gambling addiction dangers, financial risks of gambling, and probability concepts. The state education commissioner must provide schools with sample lesson materials and develop mandatory teacher training on identifying gambling issues and treatment resources. Implementation is delayed until the school year following the next state curriculum review, not immediately. The bill directly affects all high school students and school districts in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) to provide public employers (non-State entities participating in SHBP) with detailed claims data upon written request. It mandates inclusion of 26 specific data points, including prescription utilization reports (top 50 drugs by volume/cost), medical claims summaries by diagnosis, and provider information, while maintaining HIPAA-compliant privacy safeguards. Public employers may request this data once per calendar year (reducing the prior 24-month limit), and employee majority representatives can also access it within 15 days of a public employer’s request. The bill directly affects public employers and their employees by increasing transparency into health plan spending and utilization patterns.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows individuals diagnosed with a traumatic or acquired brain injury by a licensed healthcare professional to voluntarily note this on their New Jersey driver's license, ID card, and MVC registry. It creates a secure statewide registry where users can provide vehicle details and emergency contacts, accessible only to law enforcement during traffic stops to improve communication. The bill also mandates annual training for all police departments on de-escalation techniques and using the registry when interacting with people with such injuries. The registry information is protected from public disclosure and can be updated or removed by the user at any time.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a presumption of pretrial detention for individuals charged with reckless vehicular homicide (when driving under the influence) or strict liability vehicular homicide (driving while intoxicated). It directly affects defendants convicted of these specific vehicular homicide offenses, requiring courts to detain them pretrial unless they can prove by a preponderance of evidence that release conditions would reasonably assure their appearance in court and community safety. The bill amends New Jersey law to extend the existing pretrial detention presumption, which currently applies to murder and life imprisonment offenses, to these vehicular homicide cases. It also includes provisions for vehicle forfeiture (unless hardship is proven) and allows courts to suspend or revoke drivers' licenses in these cases.