Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts to cancel all classes on election days when a public school serves as a polling place. Instead, school boards may use the day for staff training or professional development. The law aims to improve student safety by preventing large crowds of voters from entering school buildings during elections. It applies immediately, first affecting the November 2021 general election. The bill does not change voting procedures but modifies school operations on election days.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a property tax exemption for New Jersey veterans with service-connected disabilities. It provides a proportional exemption based on disability percentage (up to 100%), covering veterans with conditions like paralysis, amputations, or total blindness, and caps partial exemptions at $10,000. Surviving spouses of eligible veterans or those who died in service also qualify for similar exemptions. Crucially, the state will reimburse municipalities 102% of the lost tax revenue from these exemptions to offset costs. The law amends existing veteran property tax protections under P.L.1948, c.259.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and state developmental/psychiatric hospitals in New Jersey. It requires specific ratios, such as 1 nurse per 4 patients on medical/surgical units and 1 nurse per 2 patients in critical care, along with unlicensed staff ratios (1 per 7 patients during day shifts). Hospitals must implement an acuity-based staffing system approved by the health department to adjust staffing based on patient needs and unit conditions. The law aims to ensure safe staffing levels without reducing existing standards, directly affecting healthcare facilities and patient safety.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides tax credits to New Jersey-based small businesses during their first three years of operation. It directly affects qualifying startups that are registered in New Jersey, maintain most operations within the state, have no more than 50 employees, and earn under $100,000 net income in their first taxable year. The credit reduces the business's gross income tax liability by 75% in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in year three. Businesses must apply for approval from the state director to claim these credits, ensuring they aren't using the credit to offset taxes from other unrelated businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $6 million pilot program to study psilocybin therapy for behavioral health conditions like depression and anxiety through New Jersey hospitals. It directs the Department of Health to select participating hospitals across three regions (Central, Northern, Southern) to conduct FDA- and DEA-compliant research, with oversight from a new advisory board. The program aims to evaluate whether a future statewide system for safe, legal psilocybin therapy could be developed, focusing on treatment-resistant depression and other conditions. The bill was withdrawn after being approved as part of P.L.2025, c.296, meaning it is now law but no longer pending.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 1512) allows trained operators of New Jersey’s Suicide Hopeline to make follow-up calls to minors aged 16 or older who contact the hotline and are identified as high-risk for suicide, without requiring parental consent. It directly affects minors in crisis by enabling immediate, confidential support from the Hopeline after an initial call. The key mechanism amends existing law to explicitly permit these brief, supportive follow-up calls - specifically for suicide prevention - while clarifying they do not constitute formal mental health treatment. The bill was withdrawn after being approved as part of P.L.2025, c.238, meaning the policy change is now in effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study the feasibility of developing advanced reactors statewide within 18 months. The study must examine suitable locations (including retired power sites), regulatory requirements, economic viability, safety, environmental impacts, and public input through three stakeholder sessions. It directs the BPU to recommend a potential program for deploying small modular reactors and publish findings online. The study expires 30 days after the report is submitted to the Governor and Legislature.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 203) renames the "Blue Star Memorial Highway Council" to "Blue and Gold Star Memorial Highway Council" and the "Blue Star Memorial Highway system" to "Blue and Gold Star Memorial Highway system." It recognizes Gold Star families - immediate relatives of service members killed in combat - by updating the official names. The bill requires the New Jersey Department of Transportation to update all state highway signage within 90 days of the bill's effective date to reflect the new names. This is a procedural change with no new funding or policy requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A-2276) would have required municipal tourist development commissions in New Jersey to spend at least 20% of their advertising funds on promoting tourism *outside* the municipality to attract visitors from outside areas, down from the current 50% requirement. It clarifies that "advertising outside the municipality" includes any campaign targeting people who work or live outside the area - regardless of whether the ad also reaches local residents. The bill would have affected local commissions managing tourism funds, directly changing their spending rules. However, the bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, as it was superseded by an already-approved law (P.L.2025, c.250).

Maddy summaryThis bill requires motor vehicle inspection facilities and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to check for open safety recalls (from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) during vehicle inspections and registration, then provide written notice to the owner. The notice must describe each recall and state that repairs can be done at no cost by approved dealers, except as specified by federal law. Owners must complete all required repairs before the next registration renewal, or the MVC may deny renewal - though exceptions apply if parts are unavailable or hardship is proven. The bill directly affects vehicle owners, inspection facilities, and the MVC, ensuring timely recall repairs through registration requirements.