Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's alcohol licensing rules to allow breweries with a limited brewery license to operate up to 15 off-premises retail salesrooms for selling beer directly to consumers, each requiring a $250 fee. It also permits breweries and wineries (such as those with plenary retail winery licenses) to share a single salesroom on the same premises. The change directly affects small and mid-sized breweries holding a limited brewery license, expanding their ability to sell products beyond their main brewery location. These provisions update the state's beverage licensing framework to provide more flexible direct-to-consumer sales options for local producers.

Maddy summaryAJR 59 designates November each year as "Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease Awareness Month" in New Jersey. The resolution requests the Governor issue a proclamation encouraging public education about the link between diabetes (affecting over 29 million Americans) and cardiovascular disease (the leading cause of death for people with type 2 diabetes). It aims to improve public understanding of this connection, particularly for communities disproportionately impacted like African American and Hispanic/Latino populations in New Jersey. This is a symbolic resolution with no new funding or policy changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes programs for New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection to manage publicly owned forested lands, appropriating $60 million in funding from corporate business tax revenues and Green Acres funds. It requires the DEP to conduct a comprehensive survey of these lands, including identifying areas for carbon reserves, wildfire prevention, and biodiversity protection, while mandating that forest management plans prioritize ecological and climate goals over commercial profit. The bill directs the DEP to develop interim forest management rules within one year and more comprehensive rules within three years, and establishes a program to measure and reduce deer populations on public forest lands.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all public entities operating motorbus regular route service in New Jersey to transition to electric-powered buses. Starting in 2031, 25% of new buses purchased must be electric, increasing to 100% by 2035. Public entities must begin preparing for this transition immediately and report their progress by March 2025, including staff training, facility upgrades, and transition schedules. The bill appropriates $82 million annually from societal benefits charges and carbon allowance revenues to support the transition, with funds to be used exclusively for preparing for electric bus adoption and purchasing electric buses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's Office of Clean Energy Equity within the Board of Public Utilities to ensure clean energy programs specifically benefit overburdened communities. It requires the board to implement solar programs reaching 250,000 low-income households (or 35% of all low-income households, whichever is larger) by 2030, aiming to reduce their energy costs to below 6% of household income. The bill also mandates 1,600 megawatt-hours of energy storage in overburdened communities by 2030, prioritizing community resilience hubs and job training. At least $50 million annually must be allocated to this office, with funding supplementing existing low-income energy programs and requiring public reporting on progress.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a corporation business tax credit to landowners who develop native pollinator habitat on undeveloped property. Qualifying taxpayers owning or leasing at least 25 contiguous acres can claim a credit equal to 50% of development costs (up to $25,000) for creating habitat using New Jersey-native plants to support pollinators like bees. To qualify, landowners must apply for certification from the Secretary of Agriculture, documenting the habitat location, costs, and native plant use. The credit applies against corporation business tax and requires submission of the certification with tax returns.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to add a special notation to vehicle registrations for drivers who are deaf or hard of hearing. To qualify, applicants must provide medical verification of 41 dB or greater hearing loss from an ENT or an audiologist certified by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. The notation would only appear in law enforcement systems during traffic stops to alert officers, and would apply to registrations issued or renewed 180 days after the bill takes effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits large online retailers (with $1 million+ annual sales) and major retailers (over 75,000 sq ft with 50+ employees) in New Jersey from using shipping boxes larger than twice the volume of the product being shipped. It requires retailers to use appropriately sized boxes for consumer deliveries, aiming to reduce packaging waste. Violations carry civil penalties of $250-$500 per offense, with daily violations treated as separate offenses. Enforcement is authorized for state environmental and consumer protection agencies.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill extends the Transportation Trust Fund Authority's bond issuance capacity from $12 billion to $15.6 billion through 2029 and establishes an annual fee of $250 for zero emission vehicle owners starting July 1, 2024 (increasing by $10 annually to $290 by 2028). It also modifies the gas tax rate calculation to gradually increase annual revenue targets from $2.032 billion in 2025 to $2.366 billion in 2029. The fee revenues and adjusted gas tax collections will be credited to the Transportation Trust Fund to support transportation infrastructure projects, with the zero emission vehicle fees specifically going to the fund's capital reserves.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 1422) modifies state tax rules to encourage new affordable housing development. It allows developers to deduct a larger portion of construction costs over a 10-year period based on the percentage of affordable units in a project - specifically, 2 times the ratio of affordable units to total units. To qualify, projects must include at least 20% affordable units (for households earning ≤80% of regional median income), avoid federal/subsidy funding for affordable units, and begin construction after the bill's effective date. The change applies to eligible construction costs for developments completed in the 2025 tax year and later.