Asm. Ellen Park

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a public database managed by New Jersey's Business Action Center (within the Department of State) listing vacant commercial properties available for small businesses to lease or purchase. The database must include specific details like square footage, included equipment, and building systems (e.g., HVAC, security). Commercial property owners are required to report vacancies or occupancy changes to the center, which will update the database monthly using input from owners, realtors, and municipalities. The database will be accessible online and promoted to business associations and local chambers to help small businesses find suitable space more efficiently.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands requirements for public awareness signage about human trafficking. It adds 10 new locations where businesses and facilities must display the Commission on Human Trafficking's sign, including gas stations, staffing agencies, law enforcement offices, nail salons, and New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission offices. The sign must be 8.5x11 inches, in 16-point font, and bilingual (English/Spanish), containing the national trafficking hotline number. Businesses failing to display or replace defaced signs face $300 fines for first offenses and $1,000 for subsequent violations. The bill directly affects the listed establishments by mandating visible signage to aid trafficking victims.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes mandatory standards for domestic violence counseling programs required by courts for offenders. It directly affects defendants ordered to attend such counseling in domestic violence cases, requiring programs to include four key components: risk assessments identifying escalating violence patterns, education on power/control tactics, verified attendance tracking with court reporting, and regular oversight by New Jersey's Department of Children and Families. The law aims to ensure counseling programs actively promote offender accountability rather than simply meeting attendance requirements. It implements a specific recommendation from a 2023 criminal justice report and takes effect three months after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a licensing framework for businesses operating with digital assets (like cryptocurrencies) in New Jersey. It requires companies engaging in activities such as storing, trading, or issuing digital assets to obtain a license from the Bureau of Securities, unless exempt. Key exemptions include digital consumer assets used solely within online gaming platforms that don’t convert to cash or other currencies. The law explicitly excludes traditional securities from its scope and applies to activities occurring within New Jersey or targeting New Jersey residents.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands protections for cooperating witnesses in New Jersey by authorizing state funding for their safety and relocation. It amends existing law to include cooperating witnesses (those testifying for prosecutors or working with law enforcement, including confidential informants) under the Crime Victim's Bill of Rights, guaranteeing them protection from harm and access to safety-related services. The bill specifically directs the Victim and Witness Advocacy Fund to cover relocation expenses for witnesses and their household members, plus safety costs like crisis response, counseling, and emergency services. These changes directly affect witnesses who cooperate with prosecutions and their families, ensuring they receive concrete support to safely participate in criminal justice proceedings.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1425) revises New Jersey's criminal trespassing penalties when a firearm is carried. It elevates trespassing offenses to higher criminal degrees in specific locations - such as schools, dwellings, hazardous facilities, or airports - if a firearm is present, regardless of whether the person holds a valid permit. For example, trespassing in a dwelling with a firearm becomes a third-degree crime (3-5 years imprisonment) instead of a fourth-degree offense. The bill also creates an inference that a firearm-carrying trespasser knew they weren’t licensed to enter, didn’t follow posted rules, or reasonably believed they’d be allowed. It directly affects anyone committing trespass in designated locations while carrying a firearm.

Maddy summaryThis bill allocates $750,000 in supplemental funding to the Office of the Public Defender’s Trial Services to Indigents program for fiscal year 2024. The funds will hire eight additional attorneys specifically dedicated to juvenile cases, focusing on post-dispositional work and reducing caseloads in Essex and Atlantic counties - regions with the highest juvenile defense demand. The bill directly affects juvenile defendants in these counties, where custody numbers have risen from 277 in 2022 to 339 as of April 2024, and custodial sentence lengths have increased significantly. The funding addresses a projected 25-30% caseload increase for juvenile defense, stemming from expanded legal mandates under P.L.2021, c.383.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly Resolution AR 14 formally opposes New York City's congestion pricing plan, which would charge drivers $9 to enter Manhattan south of 60th Street starting January 5, 2025, with tolls rising to $12 by 2028 and $15 by 2031. The resolution states that New Jersey residents would be directly affected by these tolls without having any input or decision-making power over the plan. It expresses opposition to the policy and directs copies to New York officials, the Federal Highway Administration, and New Jersey lawmakers.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey bill A2365 extends in-state tuition eligibility to spouses and dependents of military service members who move due to a service member's transfer. It allows these individuals to maintain in-state tuition rates at public colleges in New Jersey if they were already enrolled before the transfer and maintain continuous enrollment. The bill specifically applies to spouses and dependents who were attending school in New Jersey prior to the military relocation, ensuring they don't lose tuition benefits during temporary moves. This change directly affects military families facing frequent relocations, removing a barrier to educational affordability during service-related transfers. The policy update amends existing law (P.L.1985, c.231) to include these scenarios without requiring new funding.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill expands the crime of bias intimidation to cover more protected characteristics like gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability, and increases penalties for such offenses. It raises the severity of bias intimidation to one degree higher than the underlying crime (e.g., making a fourth-degree offense a third-degree crime), adds mandatory sentencing for first-degree cases, and requires courts to impose separate sentences for bias intimidation and the underlying offense. Perpetrators convicted of bias intimidation must also complete sensitivity training, counseling, or pay compensation to victim support programs. Victims of bias-motivated crimes benefit from new financial penalties ($250-$2,000 per offense) collected by the state and directed to community services. The law applies to anyone committing crimes like assault or harassment with bias motivation, directly affecting both offenders and victims in hate crime cases.