Asm. Gary Schaer

Maddy summaryThis bill reschedules New Jersey's June 2025 primary election from June 3 to June 10, 2025, to accommodate a religious observance. It adjusts most election-related deadlines to align with the new June 10 date, but keeps specific deadlines - such as those for nominating petitions, ballot position drawing, and mailing vote-by-mail ballots - tied to the original June 3 date. The Secretary of State must notify county clerks, election boards, and the public within seven days of the bill's effective date and publish a revised election calendar. This change directly affects all voters, candidates, and election officials participating in New Jersey's 2025 primary election cycle.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill A2941 requires large sports/entertainment venues, movie theaters (over 1,000 seats), and places of worship (over 300 seats) to submit annual emergency plans to local law enforcement. The bill updates current law by mandating these plans include detailed digital "emergency mapping data" (like aerial building images, floor plans, hazardous material locations) in an electronic format compatible with public safety software. It lowers the required seating capacity for places of worship from 500 to 300 people and clarifies these plans are not public records. The goal is to improve law enforcement's preparedness for incidents at these venues.

Maddy summaryThis bill reschedules New Jersey's June 2025 primary election from June 3 to June 10, 2025, to avoid conflict with a religious observance. It also establishes a permanent rule requiring the Secretary of State to reschedule any primary election (for delegates to national conventions or general elections) if it falls on a religious observance that significantly hinders in-person voting. The new date must be the first Tuesday after the observance period, with the Secretary providing notice to election officials and the public by specific deadlines. This applies to all future primary elections affected by such observances, ensuring adjustments to related deadlines and publishing updated election calendars.

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic Assembly Resolution (not a law) condemning violent attacks on Jewish individuals in Amsterdam following a November 7, 2024 football match between Maccabi Tel Aviv and AFC Ajax. It specifically references incidents where Israeli fans were ambushed, assaulted, and targeted with anti-Semitic violence after pre-match anti-Arab actions by some fans, drawing a parallel to the 1938 Kristallnacht attacks. The resolution calls for Dutch authorities to apprehend perpetrators and expresses solidarity with victims, with no binding legal effect beyond New Jersey's official statement.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers the Division of Food and Nutrition (which administers programs like school meals and food assistance) from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Human Services. It appropriates $128.241 million in state funds for farmland preservation, including $115.091 million to the State Agriculture Development Committee to acquire farmland through easements or ownership, and provide grants to counties (up to 80% of costs) and nonprofits (up to 50% of costs). The funds come from constitutionally dedicated revenues and a new General Fund appropriation, with $13.15 million specifically allocated for administrative costs like staff and legal services. This directly affects farmland preservation efforts, local governments, and nonprofit organizations working to protect agricultural land in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for assaulting law enforcement officers, making it a second-degree crime when bodily injury occurs (previously a third-degree crime). It expands protection to include firefighters and emergency medical personnel who are assaulted while performing their duties. The bill requires offenders to provide a blood or biological sample for testing for communicable diseases, with any positive results shared with the victim. It also prohibits plea bargains for assault on law enforcement officers and prevents convictions from merging with other offenses. The bill takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryBill A1858 would allow New Jersey public bodies - including city councils, school boards, and commissions - to conduct meetings, vote, and receive public comment electronically at any time, removing the current requirement that such actions be limited to declared emergencies like natural disasters or health crises. Currently, remote participation is only permitted during emergency periods under the Open Public Meetings Act. The bill maintains existing requirements for public notice, open access to meetings, and allowing public comment, while eliminating the emergency restriction. This change would make electronic meetings a standard option for public bodies without needing emergency declarations.

Maddy summaryBill A4887 requires people under 17 to wear helmets while operating bicycles, scooters, or motorized scooters in New Jersey, expanding current helmet requirements that previously applied only to bicycles. The bill mandates businesses selling or renting these devices to post warning signs and provide helmets to minors who don't have them, with civil immunity for compliant businesses. It exempts certain areas like trails or closed roads from the helmet requirement but applies when operating on public roads or paths. This bill amends existing laws to cover additional personal mobility devices with the goal of increasing safety.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's education commissioner to provide written notice to nonpublic schools before withholding state aid for failing health and safety standards. Schools must fix issues within 60 days (with a possible 30-day extension) or develop a one-year improvement plan approved by the commissioner. Only after these steps can the commissioner order aid withholding or direct the State Treasurer to withhold it. The bill applies to nonpublic schools receiving state aid and covers specific health/safety requirements like fire inspections, asbestos management, and facility certifications.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Health and the New Jersey Board of Nursing to provide homemaker-home health aide and nursing assistant certification exams in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, and Tagalog. It directly affects individuals seeking these certifications, particularly non-English speakers who may face language barriers during testing. The law mandates that both written and oral exams be available in these languages to ensure accessibility. The agencies can adopt additional rules under existing administrative procedures to implement this requirement, which takes effect six months after enactment.