Asm. Jessica Ramirez

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the filing deadline for New Jersey public safety retirees and members of PFRS, SPRS, and PERS to claim accidental disability retirement benefits related to 9/11 World Trade Center rescue, recovery, or cleanup operations. It allows retirement system boards to approve additional two-year filing extensions beyond the initial two-year window required after the 2019 law. The bill also provides an alternative to proving prior medical health status by permitting members to submit medical examination results from before or after public service entry, rather than requiring proof of a passing pre-employment physical. This applies to those who participated in 9/11 operations between September 11-12, 2001, and developed qualifying health conditions as a result of their service. Retirement systems must notify members about this bill within 30 days of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows 16- and 17-year-old New Jersey residents who are U.S. citizens and live in a school district for at least 30 days to vote only in local school board elections. It requires the Secretary of State to create a registration process and ballot design mirroring existing voter systems for this age group. The bill specifically limits voting rights to school board elections - 16- and 17-year-olds cannot vote in state or federal elections. It does not require school boards or municipalities to take action to implement the change.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey employers to develop heat safety plans to protect workers from heat-related illness and injury. The plans must include access to cool water, shaded rest areas, regular breaks, and training on recognizing heat illness symptoms. Employers must follow these plans when temperatures reach 90°F outdoors or 87°F indoors, and must review their plans annually. The Department of Labor will enforce these requirements with fines or stop-work orders for violations.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a container deposit and refund system for beverage containers in New Jersey. It requires all filled beverage containers sold in the state to be returnable containers with a $0.10 deposit, clearly marked with "New Jersey" and the refund value. Consumers pay the $0.10 deposit when purchasing beverages and can return empty containers to dealers or redemption centers for a cash refund. The bill affects manufacturers (who must create returnable containers), distributors (who must originate the deposit), dealers (who collect the deposit and issue refunds), and consumers (who pay the deposit and receive refunds). Moneys from unclaimed deposits will fund environmental cleanup and prevention programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new "EMS Part" within New Jersey's Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), specifically for emergency medical services employees. It establishes enhanced retirement benefits including a pension equal to 50% of final compensation for employees with 20 or more years of service, plus additional benefits for those with 20-25 years of service. Eligible positions include emergency medical technicians, paramedics, emergency medical services supervisors, and other certified health professionals providing emergency medical services. The State will cover increased pension costs for counties and municipalities resulting from this new retirement system component.

Maddy summaryThis bill raises New Jersey's minimum age for juvenile delinquency to 14 years old. It changes the legal definition so that only juveniles aged 14 or older can be charged with delinquency for acts that would be crimes if committed by adults (like serious offenses or disorderly conduct), while exempting certain minor violations (such as traffic rules, curfews, or bicycle laws) for all ages. The bill also requires the Attorney General to create a working group - including mental health experts, law enforcement, civil rights advocates, and juvenile justice professionals - to advise on implementing these changes. This directly affects 14- to 17-year-olds who might face juvenile court charges for more serious offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds personal liability for "principal owners" (defined as anyone with ownership interest or control) when employers fail to maintain workers' compensation coverage. It expands existing penalties: the Director of Workers' Compensation must impose a $1,000 fine plus 15% of the award (up to $5,000) on employers who don’t provide coverage, with these penalties now payable by both the employer and its principal owners. Funds collected from these penalties go into the "uninsured employer’s fund," which can pursue payment from owners through subrogation (stepping into the employee’s legal position). The bill directly affects small business owners and executives who skip required workers’ comp insurance, ensuring personal financial accountability for coverage failures.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4265) creates a program to pay monetary awards to whistleblowers who report tax law violations by employers in New Jersey's construction industry. Whistleblowers providing specific, credible information that leads to enforcement actions (like penalties or settlements) can receive 15-30% of the money collected, or up to 10% if the information came from public sources like media or government reports. It excludes current Treasury employees and individuals who planned the violations they reported, and protects whistleblowers from retaliation under existing law. The award amount is based on how much the information contributed to the case outcome.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly Resolution AR 127 is a symbolic statement condemning Arizona's Supreme Court ruling in *Planned Parenthood v. Mayes*, which enforced an outdated 1864 abortion ban. The resolution does not change laws but formally opposes Arizona's decision to uphold a near-total abortion ban without exceptions for rape or incest. It reaffirms New Jersey's existing commitment to protecting residents' access to reproductive health care services, as established by state law. This resolution has no legal effect on Arizona or New Jersey policy but expresses legislative disapproval of the Arizona court's action.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination to explicitly protect individuals from discrimination based on membership in a labor organization. It expands the definition of "labor organization" to include any group formed for collective bargaining or mutual aid among employees, and adds membership in such organizations to the list of protected characteristics. This means employers, labor organizations, and others cannot discriminate against employees or job applicants based on their membership in a labor union or employee representation committee. The law already protects people from discrimination based on characteristics like race, gender, and disability; this bill extends that protection to include labor organization membership.