Asm. Gary Schaer

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes geriatric parole for New Jersey inmates who are 60 or older and have served at least half their sentence, or 65 or older and have served at least one-third their sentence. The parole board must consider factors like age, time served, and diminished physical condition when reviewing requests, while excluding inmates serving sentences for certain serious offenses including sex offenses, murder, robbery, or financial crimes involving fraud. The board must notify sentencing courts, prosecutors, and victims before making a decision, and a denial of geriatric parole doesn't prevent inmates from being considered for regular parole under existing rules. This policy aims to provide an alternative to long-term incarceration for elderly inmates who pose minimal public safety risk.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A1918 requires state government agencies (like departments and bureaus providing public services) to translate vital documents and provide interpretation services in the 15 most common non-English languages spoken by limited-English proficiency residents, based on U.S. Census data. Agencies must complete translations for the 10 most common languages within 365 days of the law's effective date and the additional 5 within 730 days, with immediate translation for applications, rights notices, and privacy documents. Each agency must create a language access plan within 90 days detailing how they'll provide services, train staff, document usage, and assign a language access coordinator to monitor compliance and produce annual reports. Funding for implementation comes from American Rescue Plan Act funds and state General Fund, with no requirement to remove existing translation obligations (like Spanish services).

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Neighborhood Solar Energy Investment Program," allowing residential and business customers of electric utilities to invest in solar energy projects within their utility's service territory. Under the program, customers can invest in solar projects and receive credits on their utility bills for the electricity produced by their investment, up to their previous year's annual usage. The Board of Public Utilities will set standards for the program, including verification that projects produce sufficient energy to match the credits provided to investors. The program aims to facilitate community-based solar investment while ensuring transparency through a publicly accessible website listing available solar projects seeking investors.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Jersey's property tax levy cap calculation to allow local governments to exclude certain flood insurance cost increases from their tax cap calculations. It directly affects municipalities and counties subject to the state's property tax levy cap rules when federal flood insurance maps change. For the first year after federal map changes, local governments with existing flood insurance can exclude premium increases over 2% of the prior year's cost, while those without insurance can exclude the full new cost. For years 2-4 following map changes, any premium increase over 2% can be excluded regardless of prior coverage. The exclusion expires after four years.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1427) requires New Jersey Transit (NJT) to create guidelines for on-demand micro transit pilot programs operating across the state. The guidelines must ensure affordability for residents in "transit deserts" (areas with limited public transportation access), encourage union hiring for drivers, and specify vehicle requirements (including commercial driver license rules). NJT must prioritize expanding these services to Bergen, Mercer, and Middlesex counties, focusing on connecting transit-dependent communities to regional rail networks. The programs would provide app-based shared rides where users select pickup/drop-off locations in real time.

Maddy summaryThis bill limits the total appeal bond required in civil cases to $50 million (or the judgment amount, whichever is lower), directly affecting defendants appealing monetary judgments. It caps the combined bond amount for all appellants in a single case, while allowing courts to reduce the bond further if justified. The bill includes an exception permitting full judgment-level bonds if an appellee proves the appellant is hiding assets to avoid payment. It applies immediately to all judgments entered after its effective date, regardless of when the case was filed.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey furniture retailers to provide clear safety notices about tip-over risks and make compatible tip restraint devices (like straps or brackets) available for purchase with qualifying furniture. It applies specifically to freestanding storage furniture over 36 inches tall, including dressers, bookcases, and entertainment units. Retailers must prominently display these safety devices and post a standardized notice warning that "certain furniture may tip over, leading to injury or death" and that restraints "may prevent tipping when properly installed." Furniture sold with built-in restraints or purchased online is exempt, and violations carry a $500 civil penalty.

Maddy summaryThis bill reduces New Jersey's premium receipts tax for surplus lines insurance coverage from 5% to 3% of gross premiums. It affects insurers, surplus lines agents, and policyholders purchasing specialized insurance for high-risk or hard-to-cover risks (like unusual property or complex liability). The bill clarifies that for fire insurance policies in municipalities with firemen's relief associations, all 3% tax must now go directly to those associations (previously split between them and the state). This change reverts the tax rate to its level before 2009, as stated in the bill's summary.

Maddy summaryThis bill codifies New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination (LAD) to explicitly prohibit "disparate impact" discrimination, meaning policies that seem neutral but disproportionately harm people based on protected characteristics like race, disability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. It formalizes existing court rulings (such as *Gerety v. Atl. City Hilton Casino Resort*) that already recognized this protection, making it part of statute rather than relying solely on case law. The law directly affects individuals facing discrimination in employment, housing, or services due to such policies - for example, a neutral rental policy that disproportionately excludes people with disabilities. This update ensures clear legal recourse for those harmed by policies with unintended discriminatory effects.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey municipalities to impose temporary curfews to address disorderly or riotous conduct threatening public safety. It authorizes mayors to declare a local emergency and enforce a curfew (10 p.m. to 6 a.m.) for up to seven days if police report that five or more people are engaging in conduct likely to cause harm and refuse to disperse after being ordered to do so. The curfew applies to all people within the designated area and requires consultation between the mayor, police chief, and emergency management coordinator to confirm an immediate threat of violence or property damage. It does not apply to routine protests or non-threatening gatherings but targets situations where social media coordination has enabled disruptive behavior. The bill defines "disorderly conduct" using existing New Jersey law (N.J.S.2C:33-2) and mandates state guidelines for police enforcement.