Asm. Shama Haider

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey licensing boards from asking healthcare professionals (like doctors, nurses, and therapists) about their past mental health treatment during license applications or renewals. It allows boards to ask only about current conditions that impair safe practice, with strict confidentiality and guarantees that treated conditions won't lead to license denial. The law requires boards to limit questions to safety-related impairments and ensures responses about past care remain confidential if no impairment exists. This directly affects all healthcare workers seeking or renewing state licenses in New Jersey, aiming to reduce stigma and encourage seeking mental health support.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all basic life support ambulances and volunteer ambulance squad vehicles in New Jersey to carry epinephrine auto-injectors and be staffed by at least one emergency medical technician (EMT) certified to administer them. It directly affects ambulance services, including both paid and volunteer emergency response units, by mandating specific equipment and personnel standards for treating severe allergic reactions. The law defines "basic life support" as standard pre-hospital care and clarifies that the requirements do not override existing federal or state staffing regulations. The bill takes effect 180 days after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3407) prohibits New Jersey colleges and universities from requiring student parents - those with full or partial custody of a child - to purchase meal plans, live in on-campus housing (except for specific residential programs or scholarship conditions), or pay fees for campus gym or fitness center access. Institutions cannot mandate these costs but may deny facility access if fees aren’t paid. The law applies to all students with custody of children and takes effect immediately for the first full academic year after enactment. It directly affects student parents by removing financial and housing barriers tied to childcare responsibilities.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and state developmental/psychiatric hospitals in New Jersey. It requires specific ratios, such as 1 nurse per 4 patients on medical/surgical units and 1 nurse per 2 patients in critical care, along with unlicensed staff ratios (1 per 7 patients during day shifts). Hospitals must implement an acuity-based staffing system approved by the health department to adjust staffing based on patient needs and unit conditions. The law aims to ensure safe staffing levels without reducing existing standards, directly affecting healthcare facilities and patient safety.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the "New Jersey Reparations Task Force" to research and develop proposals addressing generational harms from New Jersey's role in slavery and systemic racial discrimination. The task force will examine historical and current disparities affecting Black communities, including voter disenfranchisement, youth incarceration rates, housing discrimination, wealth gaps, and school segregation. It will produce a report with policy recommendations for state-based reparations based on documented harms. The bill directly affects Black residents of New Jersey who face these systemic inequities, as outlined in the legislative findings.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides tax credits to New Jersey-based small businesses during their first three years of operation. It directly affects qualifying startups that are registered in New Jersey, maintain most operations within the state, have no more than 50 employees, and earn under $100,000 net income in their first taxable year. The credit reduces the business's gross income tax liability by 75% in year one, 50% in year two, and 25% in year three. Businesses must apply for approval from the state director to claim these credits, ensuring they aren't using the credit to offset taxes from other unrelated businesses.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $6 million pilot program to study psilocybin therapy for behavioral health conditions like depression and anxiety through New Jersey hospitals. It directs the Department of Health to select participating hospitals across three regions (Central, Northern, Southern) to conduct FDA- and DEA-compliant research, with oversight from a new advisory board. The program aims to evaluate whether a future statewide system for safe, legal psilocybin therapy could be developed, focusing on treatment-resistant depression and other conditions. The bill was withdrawn after being approved as part of P.L.2025, c.296, meaning it is now law but no longer pending.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a two-year Statewide Animal Advocate Program within New Jersey's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC). It allows courts to appoint a special advocate in criminal cases involving animal welfare (such as cruelty or dog fighting charges) to represent the animal's best interests, rather than the owner or state. The advocate monitors cases, reviews records from vets and officers, shares information with attorneys, and recommends animal placement to the court. The program expires after two years, requiring a report on implementation and recommendations for continuation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires motor vehicle inspection facilities and the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC) to check for open safety recalls (from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) during vehicle inspections and registration, then provide written notice to the owner. The notice must describe each recall and state that repairs can be done at no cost by approved dealers, except as specified by federal law. Owners must complete all required repairs before the next registration renewal, or the MVC may deny renewal - though exceptions apply if parts are unavailable or hardship is proven. The bill directly affects vehicle owners, inspection facilities, and the MVC, ensuring timely recall repairs through registration requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows eligible New Jersey educators (K-12 teachers, counselors, principals) and paraprofessionals (school aides) to deduct up to $250 of unreimbursed classroom supply expenses from their gross income tax. It covers costs like books, computers, software, and classroom materials, but excludes nonathletic supplies for health or physical education classes. To qualify, individuals must work at least 900 hours annually in a New Jersey public or private elementary/secondary school. The deduction applies to taxable years starting after the bill's enactment date.