Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryBill A4163 requires health insurers in New Jersey to cover biomarker testing for diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of diseases when supported by medical evidence such as FDA approvals, drug labels, or clinical guidelines. The bill applies to all health insurance plans including individual, group, Medicaid, and health maintenance organization contracts. Insurers must provide coverage without causing unnecessary disruption (like multiple biopsies) and must make prior authorization decisions within 24 hours for urgent requests or 72 hours for non-urgent requests. This ensures patients can access precision medical testing that's clinically supported without excessive administrative barriers.

Maddy summaryThis bill redirects leftover funds from New Jersey's 1989 Bridge Rehabilitation Bond Act to the Department of Transportation for immediate bridge repairs. It specifically allocates unspent money for emergency repairs on bridges carrying state highways (Section 1) and county/municipal roads (Section 2), with funds for local roads redistributing to counties after two years if unspent. The bill does not create new funding but realigns existing resources to address urgent bridge maintenance needs across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates online sweepstakes casinos as a form of internet gaming, requiring them to operate under the same regulatory framework as other internet gaming operators in New Jersey. It defines an online sweepstakes casino as a platform where users play games with "free currency" and earn redeemable credits through purchases, tasks, or random awards, without needing to make an initial monetary investment. The bill requires operators to obtain a casino service industry enterprise license, undergo initial and bi-annual third-party audits, partner with a casino licensee, and comply with all existing internet gaming requirements including age verification, licensing fees, and taxation on gross revenue. This legislation also authorizes the Division of Gaming Enforcement to investigate unauthorized operators and work with telecom providers to restrict access to unlicensed sites, with penalties of $1,000 per player per day for violations.

Maddy summaryS 3587 upgrades retail theft offenses in New Jersey, including elevating "leader of organized retail theft enterprise" to a first-degree crime punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The bill creates a new offense for "fostering the sale of stolen property" (including online sales), which is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail. It establishes a retail theft unit within the Department of Law and Public Safety to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft, appropriating $1 million for this purpose. The bill also includes new requirements for gift card sales to prevent fraud, such as mandatory notices for retailers and packaging restrictions for both open- and closed-loop gift cards.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey municipalities with local cannabis business licensing requirements to review applications within 90 days. It also mandates that municipalities notify the Cannabis Regulatory Commission when enacting ordinances permitting or prohibiting specific cannabis business types (e.g., retail stores, distributors), including the business class and any numerical limits. The law applies to all municipalities regulating cannabis through local ordinances and ensures transparency in regulatory decisions. This standardizes application timelines and provides the Commission with timely information on local cannabis business approvals or restrictions.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5357) establishes a voluntary program for New Jersey commercial farms to safely collect, transport, and dispose of unused pesticides, fertilizers containing pesticides, and pesticide containers. The Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) must create collection sites across the state (with at least one in each major region), host at least two collection events yearly per site, and contract with qualified entities for safe disposal and recycling. The Department of Agriculture will run a public education campaign to inform farmers about collection locations, accepted materials, program benefits, and environmental advantages, with all information posted online. Participation is optional for farms, and the program requires compliance with existing pesticide disposal laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires insurance companies to obtain prior approval from New Jersey's Commissioner of Banking and Insurance (DOBI) before implementing new rates for group-based long-term care insurance policies. Currently, only individual policy rates require such approval; this bill extends the requirement to group plans, which are typically offered through employers or organizations. Insurers must submit rates, rating details, and documentation proving compliance with state standards for fairness and reasonableness before filing. The change directly affects insurers selling group long-term care coverage in New Jersey, aligning group rate oversight with existing rules for individual policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3848) amends New Jersey law to change how alcoholic beverage licenses work for sporting facilities. It removes two current restrictions: the rule limiting all-inclusive areas to one per game/event and the 500-person capacity cap for those areas. The bill clarifies that "sporting facility" includes all areas up to the security perimeter, and allows venues to establish unlimited all-inclusive zones of any size or number. This directly affects stadiums, arenas, and similar venues holding sporting facility licenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a mandatory low-carbon transportation fuel standard program under New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It requires fuel refiners, importers, and alternative fuel producers to ensure their fuels meet annual carbon intensity limits - aiming for a 10% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions from gasoline and diesel by 2030 compared to 2019 levels. The program creates a credit-trading system where entities exceeding standards earn tradable credits to offset deficits from fuels that fall short of requirements. It also mandates that 40% of credits generated by utilities and state agencies must fund electric vehicle programs in overburdened communities, such as school bus electrification and charging infrastructure. The DEP must implement the program within one year of the bill’s effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires electric transmission facility owners in New Jersey (including utility companies) to join FERC-approved transmission entities and transfer control of their facilities to them. Transmission entities must meet specific standards, including separating transmission control from power generation, minimizing duplicate transmission charges ("rate pancaking"), ensuring fair grid access, and maintaining system reliability. The law applies immediately to all transmission owners operating in the state and mandates compliance through membership in entities meeting all nine specified operational criteria. It directly affects utility companies managing New Jersey's electricity transmission infrastructure.