Asm. Clinton Calabrese

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey counties to assess and collect taxes to fund extraordinary special education costs for students whose care exceeds $55,000. Under the new rules, school districts would receive state aid for costs between $40,000 and $55,000, while costs above $55,000 would be covered by a combination of state aid and local county levies. The legislation shifts the financial responsibility for the most expensive student cases from the state entirely to a shared model involving local county taxes. This change directly affects school districts in counties that must now raise additional funds to cover the highest-cost special education placements.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the cure period for small businesses facing certain non-criminal violations by 30 days, adding to the existing 60-day period. It applies to businesses with 50 or fewer full-time equivalent employees for first-time violations that don’t threaten public safety, employee income, or the environment. State agencies may grant this additional 30-day extension only if they determine denying it would conflict with equity and good conscience. The bill does not apply to labor law violations, criminal matters, or cases where federal rules require penalties. It also requires agencies to publicly report waived violations annually.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Health (DOH) and Department of Education (DOE) to create and distribute annual guidelines for school districts and colleges. The guidelines must include research-backed materials on vaping's health risks (lung effects, mental health, comparison to smoking, dangers to pregnant people and children), age-appropriate anti-vaping campaigns, decision-making tools to resist peer pressure, and promotional materials for students from middle school through college. Schools and colleges must use these guidelines to implement campus anti-vaping programs. The DOH and DOE will update the guidelines yearly and post them online with additional resources.

Maddy summaryThe New Jersey Online Foreclosure Sale Act permits sheriffs and other officials to conduct foreclosure sales of real property online instead of in person. It requires counties to contract with vendors for these sales under specific terms, including a $1,000 fee cap per auction, mandatory public bid visibility during the sale, and identity verification for bidders. The bill mandates that vendors must maximize recovery for debtors and lenders, collect detailed information from successful bidders (including sanctions list checks), and handle funds securely. This change directly affects sheriffs, county vendors, and bidders by establishing a standardized online process for foreclosure sales.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Division of Consumer Affairs to create and maintain a public online portal on its website. The portal must provide accessible, annual updates of non-confidential licensing data, including application counts, processing times, active license numbers by county, exam pass rates, and consumer complaint statistics. Users can sort this data by profession or license type and view year-over-year comparisons. All data shared must comply with existing open records laws and privacy protections, ensuring only publicly disclosable information is made available.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a temporary quorum rule for New Jersey professional licensing boards (like those for nurses or engineers) that struggle to meet standard quorum requirements. Specifically, if a board cannot get a regular quorum due to vacancies or needing all members present, it can process certain license applications after 90 days of this issue, using just two members (including the chair) as a quorum. The rule applies only to applications not requiring legal review due to background check issues. This aims to speed up processing for applicants without delaying decisions on complex cases. The bill takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill designates the historic "John Bull" steam locomotive as New Jersey's official state steam locomotive. The "John Bull" was shipped from England to Bordentown, New Jersey, in 1831, assembled by Isaac Dripps, and used in early railway demonstrations to showcase steam transport to the state legislature. It is now preserved at the Smithsonian Institution and recognized as the first locomotive set aside as a historic relic in the U.S. The designation is purely symbolic, honoring the locomotive's historical role in New Jersey's transportation development without creating new laws or affecting any regulations.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to prioritize funding for two types of projects: (1) land acquisition for recreation and conservation, and (2) environmental infrastructure projects that include or enable flood mitigation. It directly affects local governments, nonprofits, and communities seeking DEP grants under the Green Acres program, which uses constitutionally dedicated funds. Key provisions mandate that DEP establish criteria prioritizing projects that protect floodplains, reduce flood risk, conserve natural resources, and support recreational access. The bill amends existing laws to ensure these factors are explicitly considered when ranking eligible projects for funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires new flooring installations in schools, community centers, and licensed child care centers to be certified mercury-free by the manufacturer. It applies to all facilities using identified mercury-risk flooring materials, including existing buildings where such flooring was installed before current occupancy. Key provisions mandate certification for permits, require air quality testing if mercury is detected, and obligate owners to implement mitigation or remove unsafe flooring within six months if tests exceed safety thresholds. Violations by manufacturers issuing false certifications carry civil penalties of $10,000 for first offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new low-carbon transportation fuel program within New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from vehicles. The program requires fuel suppliers to meet specific carbon intensity standards, meaning fuels must produce at least 10% fewer emissions than traditional gasoline or diesel over their entire lifecycle. It defines low-carbon options to include electricity, hydrogen, renewable diesel, and other alternative fuels, while establishing a system for tracking and managing fuel credits. The legislation also sets a target for fuels to achieve at least 20% lower emissions within 10 years of the program's start.