Asm. Ellen Park

Maddy summaryThis bill changes the title of New Jersey's "Chief Diversity Officer" to "Chief Equity Officer" and creates the "New Jersey Office of Supplier Diversity and Business Opportunities" within the Department of the Treasury. The new Office will support the Chief Equity Officer in monitoring state contracts awarded to "small and diverse business enterprises" (including minority-owned, women-owned, economically disadvantaged, socially disadvantaged, and disabled veterans' businesses), processing business certifications, and developing outreach programs. State agencies must submit annual procurement plans and data to the Office, which will analyze these plans and provide feedback to improve contracting with diverse businesses. The Chief Equity Officer will report directly to the State Treasurer and oversee all efforts to increase transparency and participation of diverse businesses in state procurement.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to create a program for building electrification and mandates electric public utilities to develop multi-year plans to replace fossil fuel systems with electric alternatives. The plans must meet specific greenhouse gas reduction targets and be cost-effective from a societal perspective, considering environmental benefits like reduced methane emissions. Key mechanisms include converting gas heating/water systems to electric heat pumps, replacing gas appliances with electric models (e.g., induction stoves), and funding contractor training programs. The bill directly affects electric utilities, building owners, and contractors by requiring systemic shifts toward electrified heating, cooking, and industrial processes.

Maddy summaryBill A4163 requires health insurers in New Jersey to cover biomarker testing for diagnosis, treatment, management, or ongoing monitoring of diseases when supported by medical evidence such as FDA approvals, drug labels, or clinical guidelines. The bill applies to all health insurance plans including individual, group, Medicaid, and health maintenance organization contracts. Insurers must provide coverage without causing unnecessary disruption (like multiple biopsies) and must make prior authorization decisions within 24 hours for urgent requests or 72 hours for non-urgent requests. This ensures patients can access precision medical testing that's clinically supported without excessive administrative barriers.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all health insurance plans and Medicaid in New Jersey to cover treatment for stuttering, including habilitative and rehabilitative speech therapy as determined medically necessary by a patient's doctor. The coverage must be provided without prior authorization, utilization management requirements, or any cost-sharing such as deductibles, copays, or coinsurance. It applies to all insurance types including individual and group health plans, health maintenance organizations, and Medicaid, and covers both in-person and telehealth services. The bill defines habilitative speech therapy as therapy that helps a person keep, learn, or improve daily living skills, and rehabilitative speech therapy as therapy that helps restore or improve skills that have been lost or impaired. This legislation would directly affect individuals with stuttering who rely on insurance or Medicaid for speech therapy services.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires parties in civil lawsuits to disclose any third-party litigation funding agreements to the court and all parties at the time of filing or when the agreement is made. It establishes that litigation funders must act in the best interest of the funded party (a fiduciary duty), prohibits them from influencing case decisions or taking more than 25% of settlement proceeds (with a combined 50% cap including attorney fees), and bans them from offering legal advice or assigning funding agreements. Funders become jointly liable for costs or sanctions against the funded party, and agreements violating these rules become unenforceable. The bill directly affects civil case participants and third-party funders by increasing transparency and limiting funders' control over litigation outcomes.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3540 establishes criminal penalties for creating or sharing deceptive audio or visual media (commonly called "deepfakes") that falsely depict someone doing something they didn't actually do. It makes it a crime to produce such media for unlawful purposes (like harassment, theft, or privacy violations) or to share it without clearly labeling it as fake. Individuals harmed by these deepfakes can sue for $1,000 per violation plus damages, attorney fees, and other remedies. The law exempts news media from penalties unless they knowingly share unmarked fake content created in violation of the bill.

Maddy summaryS 3587 upgrades retail theft offenses in New Jersey, including elevating "leader of organized retail theft enterprise" to a first-degree crime punishable by 10-20 years in prison. The bill creates a new offense for "fostering the sale of stolen property" (including online sales), which is a disorderly persons offense punishable by up to six months in jail. It establishes a retail theft unit within the Department of Law and Public Safety to investigate and prosecute organized retail theft, appropriating $1 million for this purpose. The bill also includes new requirements for gift card sales to prevent fraud, such as mandatory notices for retailers and packaging restrictions for both open- and closed-loop gift cards.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey State Police to verify whether a person has an unprocessed expungement order before releasing their criminal history background check. If an expungement order exists but hasn't been reflected in the system, the State Bureau of Identification must update the record to show the expungement prior to dissemination. This ensures individuals with court-ordered expungements are not incorrectly listed as having criminal records. The bill directly affects people seeking background checks for employment, licensing, or volunteer opportunities who have had expungement orders granted but not yet processed by the State Police.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A567) requires courts to order counseling for children who have witnessed or been exposed to domestic violence in households where abuse has occurred. It establishes a legal presumption that custody of minor children should be awarded to the non-abusive parent when a final restraining order is issued in domestic violence cases. The bill also permits courts to order the abusive parent to pay for the child's counseling and requires them to provide proof of payment to the court. Additionally, it mandates that courts consider the child's exposure to domestic violence when making custody decisions, prioritizing the child's safety and well-being.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits short-term rentals (like Airbnb) in areas zoned exclusively for residential use, unless a municipality specifically authorizes it. Municipalities may allow short-term rentals in up to 25% of their total land area, but property owners cannot rent residential units for short-term stays without local approval. Violations carry civil penalties ($250-$1,000 per offense), with collected fines directed to local affordable housing funds for low- or moderate-income housing. The policy aims to preserve long-term housing supply by limiting conversions of rental units to short-term use, which studies link to higher rents and reduced housing availability.