Asm. Jessica Ramirez

Maddy summaryAssembly Resolution 107 urges the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to redirect funding away from current transportation providers for disabled veterans and instead support existing county paratransit services and non-profit organizations (like ARC of New Jersey and Easterseals) that already provide transportation for seniors and people with disabilities. It specifically addresses disabled veterans in New Jersey - approximately 53,000 with service-connected disabilities - who use VA medical centers in East Orange and Lyons, where current transportation has been reported as inadequate (leaving veterans stranded for hours or overnight). The resolution proposes that VA funding enable these established networks to expand their services to cover veterans’ medical travel needs, rather than relying on underfunded or inconsistent VA or volunteer-provided transport. This is a non-binding request to the VA, not a legislative mandate.

Maddy summaryThis symbolic Assembly Resolution (AR 122) condemns the Alabama Supreme Court ruling in *LePage v. Mobile Infirmary Clinic* (which treats embryos as "extrauterine children") and federal bill H.R. 431 (which would extend constitutional personhood to embryos from fertilization). It reaffirms New Jersey’s existing protections for reproductive health care access, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the state already supports through laws requiring insurance coverage for fertility services. The resolution does not create new legal requirements but publicly opposes actions that threaten IVF access and reproductive freedom. New Jersey has previously enacted measures to shield patients and providers from out-of-state prosecution for legally accessed reproductive care.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the scope of practice for optometrists in New Jersey by allowing them to prescribe more pharmaceutical agents (including some controlled substances), administer certain immunizations (for coronaviruses, influenza, and varicella-zoster virus), and perform simple ophthalmologic procedures like non-invasive laser treatments. It clarifies that optometrists must complete specific training and credentialing to provide these expanded services, including evidence of competence through accredited education programs. The bill directly affects licensed optometrists in New Jersey and their patients, who will have access to a broader range of eye care services from optometrists. The legislation updates the legal definition of optometry practice to better align with optometrists' doctoral education and clinical training.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey state, county, and private adult and juvenile correctional facilities to provide free voice, video, and electronic mail services to incarcerated individuals, eliminating all fees for calls or messages. It prohibits facilities from charging per-minute rates, setup fees, or any other charges to incarcerated persons or their families, and mandates that services must be provided at no cost to any party. The bill appropriates funds from the General Fund to cover implementation costs, ensuring facilities can provide these services without financial burden. As a result, incarcerated individuals and their families will no longer face costs previously associated with communication, such as domestic call fees up to 11 cents per minute.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A4042, the "Municipal and School Board Voting Options Act," allows municipalities and school boards to adopt ranked-choice voting for local elections (mayor, council, school board seats) through voter approval. It permits communities to choose ranked-choice voting via a referendum on an ordinance or a voter-initiated petition requiring 10% of the last General Assembly election votes. The bill defines two counting methods: "instant runoff" for single-winner races (like mayor) and "single transferable vote" for multi-winner races (like at-large council seats), where votes transfer based on voter rankings if no candidate reaches a threshold. This applies only to general elections, not primaries, and requires the Division of Elections to provide implementation guidelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides $2 million in state funding to New Jersey's Department of Labor to support county prosecutors in enforcing wage payment laws. It requires each county prosecutor's office to assign a dedicated assistant prosecutor to investigate and prosecute cases where employers fail to pay wages or violate wage-hour laws. The funding covers both financial resources and training for prosecutors to handle these cases more effectively. This directly affects workers who are owed wages and county prosecutors who will now have dedicated staff and resources for wage enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require New Jersey's Department of Transportation to establish a paratransit brokerage program that consolidates two separate paratransit services currently provided by different state agencies: ADA paratransit service (managed by NJ Transit under the Access Link program) and Medicaid paratransit service (managed by the Department of Human Services). The program would be managed by a transportation broker contracted by DOT, using interactive software that allows eligible passengers to schedule service requests and paratransit providers to competitively bid to fulfill those requests. The brokerage model aims to achieve cost savings and operational efficiencies by creating a single streamlined system, with compensation for providers based solely on fulfilled service requests. The program would initially exclude county transit agencies and community organizations but could be expanded after a study assessing cost savings and provider network capacity.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3741) protects tenants who are victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, or stalking from housing discrimination. Landlords cannot terminate a tenancy, refuse to renew a lease, or deny a rental application based on a tenant’s victim status or prior lease termination under the New Jersey Safe Housing Act (P.L.2008, c.111). Tenants may provide documentation like restraining orders, medical records, or certification from domestic violence specialists to invoke these protections. Violating this law makes landlords liable for civil damages, court costs, and attorney fees. The bill amends existing tenant protection statutes (N.J.S.A. 2A:18-53 and 2A:18-61.1) to explicitly prohibit housing discrimination based on victim status.

Maddy summaryBill A3602 provides a $250,000 supplemental appropriation to fund pediatric clinical services at the Tourette Syndrome Clinic of Rutgers University. It directly supports children with Tourette Syndrome and related disorders in New Jersey by covering diagnostic assessments and counseling services through the New Jersey Center for Tourette Syndrome and Associated Disorders. The funding is allocated specifically for the clinic’s operations, including sliding-scale fees for families with financial need. This appropriation supplements existing state funding under the 2024 budget for the Division of Family Health Services.

Maddy summaryThe "Compassion for Community Cats Law" requires that community cats (stray or feral cats with no known owner) be spayed or neutered, ear-tipped, and vaccinated against rabies before being returned to their location or given to a new owner. It establishes a "Compassion for Community Cats Fund" within the Department of Health to provide grants to municipalities and counties for programs that humanely trap, sterilize, vaccinate, and return community cats. The law requires shelters to spay or neuter cats before adoption (with exceptions for kittens under two months, health reasons, or foster placements) and allows shelters to charge for the procedure. This law promotes the "trap, neuter, vaccinate, and return" (TNVR) method as a more humane and effective approach to managing community cat populations than "catch and kill" methods.