Asm. Ellen Park

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill would require restaurants and other food service businesses to stop automatically providing single-use utensils (like forks and knives) and condiments (such as ketchup and mustard packets) to customers, instead offering them only when specifically requested. Businesses with 50 or more on-site seats would need to provide reusable utensils for dine-in customers who must return them for cleaning and reuse. The bill includes exemptions for schools (for five years), food courts (for two years), and health care facilities during infectious disease outbreaks or outdoor events. Violations would result in penalties of $2,500 for second offenses and $5,000 for third or subsequent offenses, with funds going to environmental cleanup programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $615,000 from the General Fund to the New Jersey Department of Human Services (DHS) for a grant to the NJ 2-1-1 Partnership. The funding directly supports the NJ 2-1-1 Partnership, which operates New Jersey’s statewide 2-1-1 service providing free information and referrals to health, social, and emergency services. The bill adds this amount to the existing fiscal year 2026 budget for DHS’s Behavioral Health Services division. The 2-1-1 service, designated by New Jersey in 2002 as the sole state administrator for the nationwide 2-1-1 dialing code, connects residents to community resources through a single phone number.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey cosmetology, barbering, and hair braiding schools to include training on textured hair (defined as coiled, curly, or wavy hair) in their existing curricula. The training must cover working with various coil, curl, and wave patterns, hair strand thickness, and hair volume. It also mandates that textured hair be included in both written and practical portions of licensure examinations for these professions. The requirement is to be integrated into current training without adding additional hours of instruction.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to allow licensed plumbing, electrical, and HVAC contractors to submit certain construction documents electronically for permit review, including subcode applications and supporting calculations. It specifically prohibits DCA from requiring physical signatures or seals on these contractors' subcode forms or site plans. The law applies only to documents related to electrical, fire protection, or energy subcodes for these specific contractor disciplines. This change aims to modernize the permitting process while maintaining the same regulatory standards for compliance.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public colleges and universities in New Jersey that partner with sports gambling companies (e.g., through stadium advertising or promotional agreements) to establish gambling addiction prevention programs. Institutions must provide students with educational materials on responsible gambling and share hotline information for gambling support services. The required materials must be posted on campus websites and in high-traffic areas like dorms, libraries, and student centers. The law takes immediate effect and directly affects all public higher education institutions with such sports wagering partnerships.

Maddy summaryThis bill would allow New Jersey to join a multi-state compact enabling physician assistants (PAs) licensed in one participating state to practice in other member states without obtaining separate licenses. It directly affects PAs seeking to work across state lines and healthcare systems needing to recruit PAs more flexibly. Key provisions include mutual recognition of licenses ("Compact Privilege"), requirements for states to maintain criminal background checks and report disciplinary actions, and ensuring PAs practice under the jurisdiction of the state where the patient is located. The compact aims to improve access to medical services, particularly benefiting military families who relocate frequently.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits pet shops in New Jersey from selling cats, dogs, or rabbits, repealing the previous "Pet Purchase Protection Act." It establishes a $500 fine for violations and allows pet shops to sell other animals or pet supplies, while enabling collaboration with shelters to showcase adoptable animals without exchanging payment. The bill defines "unfit for purchase" for animals and specifies that an animal's death within 14 days of sale (except by accident) would be considered evidence of being unfit. It also prohibits animal rescue organizations, shelters, and pounds from obtaining animals from breeders or brokers in exchange for compensation. The law does not affect pet dealers (not pet shops) or consumer rights for animals purchased from them.

Maddy summaryThe "John R. Lewis Voter Empowerment Act of New Jersey" requires all voting policies to be interpreted in ways that maximize voting access for all eligible voters, particularly members of racial, color, and language-minority groups. It prohibits voting practices that burden protected class members and mandates language assistance for limited English proficient voters. The bill creates a preclearance process for voting changes in jurisdictions with a history of voting rights violations and establishes the New Jersey Voting and Elections Institute to maintain public voting data. These provisions aim to ensure equitable access to voting and protect against voter suppression and vote dilution.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A6211) amends New Jersey law to increase penalties for criminal trespassing when a firearm is carried. It changes the offense from a less serious disorderly persons offense to a fourth-degree crime (or upgrades it to a third-degree crime for trespassing in specific locations like schools or dwellings) if someone carries a firearm while trespassing. The penalty increase applies regardless of whether the person has a permit to carry a handgun. It directly affects individuals committing trespassing offenses while possessing a firearm, including those with valid permits. The change applies to all trespassing locations covered under the current law, such as private property with posted signs, facilities like power plants, and other restricted areas.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new criminal offense called "fertility fraud" for health care practitioners who perform assisted reproduction treatments (like IVF or artificial insemination) without a patient's written consent, using either the practitioner's own reproductive material or another person's material. If convicted, the practitioner faces a third-degree crime penalty (up to five years in prison, a $15,000 fine, or both) and must have their medical license permanently revoked. The law also extends the statute of limitations to 20 years from the treatment date (or 10 years from when the victim discovers the fraud). It directly affects fertility clinics and health care providers in New Jersey who conduct reproductive treatments.