Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryThis bill, now enacted as P.L.2025, c.202, prohibits the intentional addition of PFAS (forever chemicals) to most cosmetics sold in New Jersey starting two years after its effective date. It requires cookware manufacturers containing PFAS to notify consumers about their presence. The law directly affects cosmetics and cookware manufacturers, while protecting residents by reducing exposure to PFAS linked to health risks. Key mechanisms include specific product bans, disclosure requirements, and funding for PFAS research and remediation programs. The bill does not apply to trace PFAS from manufacturing impurities or products with PFAS only in internal components.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey law to allow convenience stores to sell alcoholic beverages by revising licensing rules for plenary retail consumption licenses. It permits stores to sell alcohol only if they also offer snacks (like chips or nuts) and nonalcoholic beverages as accessories, while complying with state regulations from the Division of Alcoholic Beverage Control. Municipalities would set annual license fees between $250 and $2,500. This directly affects convenience store owners seeking to expand sales to include alcohol under specific conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes penalties for underage gambling in New Jersey from criminal charges to civil fines. It affects minors who gamble at casinos (under age 21), casino employees/licensees who allow underage gambling, and guardians who permit minors under their care to gamble. The bill imposes tiered civil penalties: up to $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second, and $2,000 for third or subsequent offenses. All collected fines will fund gambling addiction prevention, education, and treatment programs through the Department of Human Services, specifically supporting the Council on Compulsive Gambling of New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill limits New Jersey State agencies to withholding no more than 2% of each partial payment due to contractors on state construction projects. It applies when contractors provide a performance bond within 15 days of contract award. State agencies may withhold more than 2% if the contractor had a contract terminated for cause within the past five years. The bill does not affect payment timelines, interest rates, or dispute resolution rules covered in other sections.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Caregiver's Assistance Act creates a tax credit for residents who pay for care of elderly relatives. Caregivers with income under $100,000 (or $50,000 for certain filers) can get 22.5% back on up to $3,000 annually in qualified care costs. Eligible expenses include home health services, adult day care, home modifications, and personal care assistance for qualifying seniors aged 60+ (or 50+ with disability) who meet income requirements. The credit does not apply to costs covered by insurance or government programs, and it's in addition to existing dependent deductions.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to hire a consultant to conduct a statewide assessment of recycling, composting, and reuse conditions for packaging products. It establishes a "Statewide Recycling Needs Assessment Advisory Council" within the DEP and appropriates $500,000 for the assessment. The study will evaluate current packaging recycling rates, collection systems (including curbside and drop-off), waste disposal data, and infrastructure gaps across covered entities like schools, government facilities, and residential buildings. The findings will help identify needs and gaps in the state's packaging recycling system.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey's Division of Gaming Enforcement to join a national or multi-state self-exclusion program for casino gambling. It enables individuals who want to voluntarily ban themselves from casinos to use a single form to exclude themselves across multiple states, rather than submitting separate requests to each state. The bill requires the division to create forms and procedures ensuring people can select which states they want excluded from, and explicitly prohibits sharing their personal information without their direct consent. This directly affects gamblers seeking to self-exclude from casinos in multiple jurisdictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Suicide Prevention Advisory Council within the Department of Health and requires public school teaching staff (including teachers, school nurses, and athletic trainers) to complete two hours of annual suicide prevention training from licensed mental health professionals. It mandates confidential reporting of suspected youth suicide attempts or deaths by school staff, mental health professionals, and certain other designated personnel to the Department of Health, with protections for reporters' immunity from liability. The law defines key terms like "suicide attempt" and "youth" (under 24), and creates a system for aggregating non-identifying data to inform annual reports. The bill directly affects school staff, healthcare providers, and school administrators in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's professional licensing boards to issue licenses to veterans who hold a valid, good-standing license in another state, regardless of when they earned it during or after military service. To qualify, veterans must provide proof of honorable discharge, evidence their out-of-state license is current, and meet all other standard requirements like exams. The law mandates boards to evaluate equivalent training/experience without requiring the same number of hours as local applicants. It directly helps veterans licensed in other states who face barriers to working in New Jersey due to differing licensing standards.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates tax incentives for New Jersey residents with disabilities to save for disability-related expenses through ABLE accounts. It provides a one-time $750 dollar-for-dollar matching grant for initial deposits into a New Jersey ABLE account (for taxpayers earning $150,000 or less annually) and allows a state tax deduction for all contributions to these accounts. The matching funds are subject to annual state budget approval, with the Department of Human Services determining allocation if funding is insufficient. The program expands New Jersey’s existing ABLE program, which allows tax-advantaged savings for expenses like housing, education, and assistive technology, without affecting Medicaid eligibility.