Asm. Mike Venezia

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a civil cause of action for disabled minors and adults who experience abuse, neglect, exploitation, or bullying. It extends the statute of limitations for filing lawsuits: for disabled minors, they can sue within 37 years after reaching adulthood or seven years from when they reasonably discover the injury, whichever is later. For disabled adults, they have seven years from discovery to file a civil action. The bill also requires health care professionals, first responders, and others to report bullying of vulnerable adults to adult protective services, which can then investigate and refer cases to law enforcement. It defines "bullying" as any act causing reasonable fear for safety or property damage, and "vulnerable adult" as someone 18+ who lacks capacity due to disability.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands the ability of pediatricians and advanced practice nurses (who don't specialize in behavioral/developmental care) to provide services for children with mild behavioral or developmental issues, such as anxiety or stress. It allows these providers to offer such care after state boards (Medical Examiners and Nursing) determine the conditions qualify as "low-acuity." Key requirements include working under physician collaboration protocols, completing six additional hours of pharmacology training on controlled substances, and maintaining regular record reviews with physicians. The change applies specifically to non-specialist providers treating children with low-severity conditions, not complex cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public community water systems in New Jersey to test water quality quarterly for compliance with secondary drinking water standards. Systems must sample at least 10% of customer taps (in addition to entry points) and report results to the state environmental department, local municipalities, and customers. If tests exceed standards, systems must create a compliance plan within 30 days to fix issues within 30 days, and submit a maintenance plan to ensure ongoing adherence. The law aims to improve transparency and consistency in water quality monitoring for residents served by public water systems.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill requires public school districts and public colleges to appoint mental health specialists specifically for student-athletes. The specialists must conduct three mental health screenings per season, develop mental health policies, and provide resources to student-athletes, coaches, and staff. Schools must collect aggregated, non-identifying data on student-athlete mental health to create a statewide registry for trend analysis. The bill includes liability protection for specialists acting in good faith and provides funding from the General Fund for implementation. It directly affects all student-athletes participating in public school and college sports programs across New Jersey.

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 summaryThis bill prohibits unauthorized drone operations near schools in New Jersey. It makes it a disorderly persons offense to fly a drone below 250 feet over school property for surveillance, to hover over school grounds without permission, or to use school buildings/grounds as a drone takeoff or landing site. School administrators must provide written authorization for any drone activity within this zone. Violations carry penalties of up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both. The law specifically exempts authorized public employees and first responders operating drones for official duties.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's Office of Clean Energy Equity within the Board of Public Utilities to ensure clean energy programs specifically benefit overburdened communities. It requires the board to implement solar programs reaching 250,000 low-income households (or 35% of all low-income households, whichever is larger) by 2030, aiming to reduce their energy costs to below 6% of household income. The bill also mandates 1,600 megawatt-hours of energy storage in overburdened communities by 2030, prioritizing community resilience hubs and job training. At least $50 million annually must be allocated to this office, with funding supplementing existing low-income energy programs and requiring public reporting on progress.

Maddy summaryThe "John R. Lewis Voting Rights Act of New Jersey" establishes a state-level voting rights law to protect racial, color, and language-minority groups' voting rights. It requires election policies to be narrowly tailored to compelling justifications and prohibits methods that impair protected class members' ability to elect their preferred candidates. The bill creates a preclearance process for political subdivisions with prior voting rights violations before implementing election policies, mandates language assistance for language-minority groups meeting census thresholds, and provides remedies including alternative election processes and redistricting changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits pharmacies and businesses with on-site pharmacies in New Jersey from selling tobacco products (including cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, and tobacco paper) or electronic smoking devices (like e-cigarettes, vapes, and their components). It directly affects pharmacies and retail businesses operating with on-site pharmacies, such as grocery stores or drugstores. The bill allows sales of FDA-approved smoking cessation products and medical cannabis (for registered patients) under specific permits. Violations carry escalating civil penalties ($250 for first offense, $500 for second, $1,000 for third+), with potential disciplinary action from the Board of Pharmacy or other agencies.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A3991) directs New Jersey's State Board of Education to create a new "general science" endorsement for teaching certificates. This endorsement would allow certified teachers to teach any high school science course (grades 9-12), rather than being restricted to specific subjects like biology or chemistry. To qualify, teachers must hold a science-related degree (biology, chemistry, physics, or equivalent), maintain a 3.0 GPA, pass basic skills and subject matter tests, and meet other commissioner requirements. Existing science teachers with specialized endorsements (e.g., biology, chemistry) can apply for this general endorsement if they meet the new standards.