Asm. Mike Venezia

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A915 requires voting machines to be rechecked and recertified annually and immediately after any software changes. This applies to all voting machines used in statewide and local elections across the state. The bill mandates the Secretary of State to develop specific tests and checklists to verify each machine accurately records and tabulates votes before every election. These updates ensure ongoing verification of machine reliability without altering existing voting machine approval processes.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A837 requires landlords to attach a municipal certificate of inspection or occupancy to residential leases and have tenants acknowledge receipt by initialing the document. This applies to properties where local ordinances mandate such inspections before renting. Landlords who fail to comply must provide the certificate within 30 days to avoid making the lease voidable at the tenant’s option. If a tenant exercises this right, they can vacate without financial obligation, and landlords must return security deposits within 30 days. The bill aims to ensure tenants know rental units have passed safety inspections.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a four-year pilot program to fund innovative STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education for K-8 students in New Jersey public schools. It allocates up to six grants of $150,000 each to school districts that demonstrate plans to implement non-traditional teaching methods - such as inquiry-based learning, student mentorship, and STEM competitions - while prioritizing rural/urban schools, low-performing schools, or those serving low-income students. School districts receiving grants must provide 25% in matching funds from their own budgets and 25% in private sector support (cash or in-kind). Funds may cover STEM supplies, teacher stipends, student competition expenses, and technology, but cannot replace existing STEM funding. The program aims to broaden student interest in STEM fields early through district-led initiatives.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to create a centralized database tracking habitability violations in rental properties, including fire safety, health, and utility issues reported to landlords or municipalities. The database will categorize defects by severity (non-hazardous to immediately hazardous) and duration, and its contents will be used as evidence in court during landlord-tenant disputes. Landlords who fail to include tenant attorney fee clauses in leases face $500 penalties for first offenses and $1,000 for repeat violations, with tenants also able to sue for these penalties. Additionally, the bill removes a previous exclusion that barred public housing tenants from proactively suing landlords for habitability issues under existing law.

Maddy summaryThe New Jersey Safe Storage of Firearms Act requires legal firearm owners to store unloaded firearms in a locked container with ammunition stored separately when not in use, applying to most owners except active law enforcement officers (when minors are present), temporary transfers, and firearms on display for sale. Retail dealers must provide written warnings and post signs about safe storage requirements to customers. The bill appropriates $500,000 for a public awareness campaign about safe storage risks and requires the Attorney General to collect data on implementation and submit annual reports to the Legislature. This replaces previous laws specifically addressing minors' access to firearms with broader safe storage requirements for all firearm owners.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A589) requires a drunk driver convicted of reckless vehicular homicide that kills a parent or guardian to pay financial support for the child's needs. It mandates courts to order payments covering the child's living expenses until age 18 (or graduation), or until 21 if the child has a disability, with a minimum 5-year payment period. The court must consider the child's financial needs, living standards, and the surviving parent's resources when setting the amount. Payments accrue during incarceration but allow up to one year after release to begin paying, and civil judgments are offset by these ordered payments.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year pilot program (the "MOM Project") under New Jersey's Department of Health to improve oral health access for low-income pregnant women and new mothers who do not qualify for Medicaid. It directly affects eligible mothers (pregnant, low-income, not enrolled in Medicaid) by providing free oral health education (at least three hours covering hygiene, nutrition, and disease links) followed by one year of dental treatment for the mother and child, including cleanings, cavity care, and infant dental visits. The program requires nonprofit health groups to conduct outreach, collect health data, and coordinate with community dental centers to deliver services, with $4.15 million appropriated from the General Fund for administration, education, treatment, and data analysis. The pilot aims to test a sustainable model for integrating oral health services into Medicaid, using data to evaluate outcomes and inform future policy.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill protects financial institutions and insurers that provide services to cannabis businesses from state penalties. It prohibits state agencies from discouraging or penalizing these institutions for serving cannabis businesses, including taking adverse actions on loans or requiring service termination. The bill also ensures that transactions with cannabis businesses won't be considered illegal, and requires cannabis businesses to notify financial institutions if their licenses are suspended or revoked. This directly affects banks, credit unions, insurers, and cannabis-related businesses operating in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill would raise the minimum age to obtain a firearms purchaser identification card (required for purchasing rifles and shotguns) from 18 to 21 years old. It would not affect the existing requirement that handgun purchasers must be at least 21 years old. Under the bill, people under 21 could still possess firearms for specific purposes like hunting with a valid license and safety certification, military training, or target practice under supervision. Active duty military members, reservists, and National Guard members would remain eligible for the card before age 21. Those who already had the card before the bill's effective date could continue to use it.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes New Jersey's firearms regulations by requiring that firearms purchaser identification cards be valid for four years (expiring on the holder's birthday in the fourth year after issuance), rather than indefinitely as under current law. It also requires applicants to complete a firearms safety training course approved by the State Police within four years prior to application (with exemptions for law enforcement and veterans). Additionally, the bill revises inheritance procedures for firearms, requiring heirs or legatees to possess a valid firearms purchaser identification card or permit to purchase a handgun before taking possession of inherited firearms, with specific procedures for transferring firearms to law enforcement if the heir doesn't qualify for a permit.