Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to create secure mobile driver's licenses and digital non-driver ID cards for residents who voluntarily request them. The digital versions will include all the same information as physical licenses, be accessible on smartphones or tablets, and allow users to update their motor vehicle records (like address changes) in real time, with updates overriding physical copies. The MVC must implement security features to prevent fraud and will be permitted to charge a reasonable fee for the service. The bill also explicitly allows drivers to display these digital IDs to police officers instead of physical cards, while protecting the privacy of other device contents.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public schools (grades 7-12) and colleges to print the telephone number for mental health and suicide crisis resources on student ID cards, replacing the current mandate for the NJ Hopeline number. The Commissioner of Education or Secretary of Higher Education (with input from the Commissioner of Human Services) will determine the specific resources to be listed. Schools may also include additional support services like the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline or on-campus crisis centers. The law takes effect immediately for the next school year.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates funds to New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) for fiscal year 2026 to provide zero-interest and principal-forgiveness loans to local governments and public water utilities for environmental infrastructure projects. It directly affects municipalities and water utilities that need financing for clean water projects (like combined sewer overflow reduction and water quality restoration) and drinking water projects, with specific funding limits based on project type and affordability criteria. The bill includes detailed lists of 151 qualifying clean water projects totaling $1.7 billion and 59 drinking water projects totaling $652 million, all intended to meet federal requirements under the Clean Water Act and Safe Drinking Water Act. The loans may offer full principal forgiveness for eligible projects or a blended interest rate based on project costs and borrower affordability.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public schools and participating nonpublic schools in the federal school meal programs to follow the USDA's stricter 2012 nutrition standards for breakfast and lunch, rather than weaker standards recently proposed by the federal government. It mandates compliance with specific USDA requirements for whole grains, sodium limits, and milk offerings as published in federal regulations from 2012 (and any future stricter standards). The law directly affects schools serving federally subsidized meals, ensuring they maintain healthier meal options for students. It takes effect immediately for the 2024-2025 school year.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a new "historic distillery license" specifically for distilleries located on properties listed in New Jersey's Register of Historic Places. License holders can manufacture any distilled alcoholic beverages, sell products for on-premises consumption, and sell up to five liters per person for off-premises consumption. They may also offer up to three samples per day (each no more than 0.5 ounces) and use bonded warehouse bottling. Unlike the existing craft distillery license, which limits annual production to 20,000 gallons, this license has no production cap. The license fee is set at $1,000, and the bill explicitly prohibits direct shipment of distilled spirits within or outside New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study how data centers impact electricity rates for residential customers. The BPU must determine if non-data center customers unfairly subsidize data center costs, whether infrastructure for data centers causes unreasonable rate hikes, and project the future portion of residential rates attributable to data centers over the next 20 years. The study will also evaluate policy options to prevent rate increases from data center growth. The BPU must complete the study within one year and submit a report to the governor and legislature within 15 months.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands eligibility for nonprofit theater liquor licenses in New Jersey to include tax-exempt "disregarded entities" (like single-member LLCs treated as part of a parent nonprofit for tax purposes). It specifically allows community theaters operating as 501(c)(3) nonprofits to obtain licenses for venues with 50-1,000 seats (smaller theaters) or 1,000+ seats (larger theaters), including their tax-exempt subsidiaries. The licenses permit alcohol sales during two hours before, during, and two hours after performances (with a 15-performance annual limit for smaller venues), but do not count toward other license caps. This directly affects nonprofit theaters seeking to serve alcohol during events without needing separate licenses for subsidiary entities.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts minor league baseball players in New Jersey from the state's wage and hour laws and recordkeeping requirements when they are covered by a collective bargaining agreement between Minor League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The exemption applies only during the term of a valid agreement that specifically outlines wages and working conditions, ending if the agreement expires or is replaced. The bill requires Minor League Baseball and the MLBPA to notify the state Department of Labor within one week of any agreement termination or replacement. This change aligns New Jersey's labor laws with the 2023 nationwide collective bargaining agreement that already provides minor league players with guaranteed salaries, health care, housing stipends, and other benefits.

Maddy summaryThe bill appropriates state and federal funds to the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection for environmental infrastructure projects in fiscal year 2026. It authorizes the DEP to provide zero-interest and principal-forgiveness loans to local governments and public water utilities for clean water and drinking water projects, including 151 clean water projects totaling $1.7 billion and 59 drinking water projects totaling $651.7 million. The bill specifies different funding mechanisms, including full principal forgiveness for qualifying projects and blended interest rates for larger projects, with all funding expiring on July 1, 2026.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public schools to follow the U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2012 nutrition standards for school meals, which limit calories, fat, and sodium while increasing whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and nonfat milk. It directly affects public schools serving federally subsidized breakfasts and lunches to roughly 32 million students nationwide. The standards aim to combat childhood obesity - New Jersey's child obesity rate is 14.8%, the 28th highest nationally - by maintaining stricter dietary requirements than USDA's recent proposed relaxations. The bill mandates compliance with these 2012 standards or any stricter future standards, effective immediately.