Asm. Shama Haider

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year School Supervisor Mentorship Pilot Program to support new school supervisors in their first year of leadership. It directly affects "novice supervisors" - certified individuals newly assigned to oversee teaching staff - in public school districts, charter schools, and renaissance schools statewide. The program requires the Commissioner of Education to partner with a nonprofit to provide each participant with at least 15 hours of mentoring and additional professional development over one school year, while ensuring geographic and demographic diversity in participant selection. The state appropriates $500,000 from the General Fund to cover program costs, and the Commissioner must report to the Governor and Legislature on the program's effectiveness and recommendations for continuation after the pilot ends.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) and Department of Transportation (DOT) to create a "Wildlife Corridor Action Plan" within 24 months. The plan must identify natural wildlife movement pathways, areas with frequent animal-vehicle collisions, and barriers like roads, then prioritize safety projects to protect both wildlife and drivers. It mandates the plan be updated every 10 years and coordinated with conservation groups, existing projects like NJ CHANJ, and road construction. The state appropriates $90,000 to fund the DEP and DOT's work on this plan. The bill directly affects wildlife habitats, driver safety, and state agency planning processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases tax credits for investors who fund New Jersey emerging technology businesses, raising the credit rate from 20% to 60% of qualified investments, with an additional 5% available for investments in opportunity zones, low-income communities, or certified minority/women-owned businesses. It also lowers the maximum employee count for qualifying businesses from 225 to 150 employees. The bill repeals the "New Jersey Ignite Act" while updating definitions and mechanisms for the tax credit program to better support technology startups across fields like biotechnology, renewable energy, and advanced computing. This change directly affects individual investors and venture funds making qualifying investments in New Jersey-based technology businesses.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates June 23 of each year as "International Widows' Day" to raise awareness about the challenges faced by widows. It requires the governor to issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and citizens to observe the day through activities that highlight widows' experiences. The bill does not create new policies, funding, or legal changes - it serves solely as a symbolic recognition of widows' issues, citing statistics like 260 million widows globally and 1 million U.S. widows annually. It passed unanimously in the New Jersey Assembly and became law (P.L.2025, JR-10).

Maddy summaryThis bill requires businesses receiving New Jersey economic development subsidies (over $25,000) to forfeit part of their subsidy or pay the full cost of environmental remediation if they violate state environmental laws. Specifically, businesses found responsible for an environmental incident must either forfeit 20% of their subsidy value for that tax year or pay the total costs to address the incident - including remediation, relocation, air filtration, and mental health services for affected residents. Proceeds from these payments fund the new Environmental Incident Recovery Fund, which reimburses impacted residents for related costs. The fund applies only to incidents where businesses received subsidies after the bill's effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5376) creates two new state entities: the Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission (18 members) and the Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency within the Department of Health. It requires hospitals to publicly disclose pricing data for inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and physician services (using standard billing codes) and sets annual benchmarks for health care cost growth and hospital prices. Health care entities exceeding these benchmarks must submit improvement plans, and hospitals failing to comply with transparency rules face civil penalties of $10 per bed per day. The bill directly affects all hospitals, health care providers, and payers in New Jersey, with $5 million appropriated for implementation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) and Environmental Department to conduct a study of wave and tidal energy potential after completing a pilot project. Within 15 months of the pilot's completion, they must submit a report with specific generation targets (in megawatts) for wave and tidal energy by 2030, 2040, and 2050. The report will guide updates to the state's Energy Master Plan to incorporate these goals, alongside exploring incentives like renewable energy credits. The legislation aims to position New Jersey as a national leader in ocean energy development while advancing the state's clean energy targets.

Maddy summaryThe Graduate Physician Licensing Act establishes a new license category for medical school graduates who have not completed residency programs. These "graduate physicians" would be permitted to provide primary care services in medically underserved areas under the supervision of a collaborating physician through formal collaborative practice arrangements. The bill sets specific licensure requirements (including passing Step 2 of the medical licensing exam and having no criminal history) and outlines detailed oversight requirements for collaborative practice arrangements, including documentation, chart review, and patient disclosure. Health insurance plans, Medicaid, and state health benefit programs would be required to reimburse graduate physicians at the same rate as physician assistants for their services.

Maddy summaryThe Anthony's Legacy Act (A4989) requires New Jersey courts to give special consideration to grandparents applying for visitation rights if they are Gold Star family members - defined as relatives (such as spouses, parents, children, or legal guardians) of service members who died while on active military duty due to enemy action, accident, or disease. Currently, courts evaluate visitation applications based on factors like the child-grandparent relationship and family dynamics, but this bill mandates that Gold Star grandparents receive heightened attention under those considerations. The law does not alter the existing requirement that applicants must still prove visitation serves the child's best interests. It directly affects grandparents who lost a family member in military service when seeking court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren.

Maddy summaryThis bill strengthens regulation of cooperative sober living residences (facilities for individuals recovering from addiction) by increasing civil penalties for violations from $5,000 to $25,000, requiring two annual unannounced inspections, and mandating public posting of licensed facility locations. It establishes new reporting requirements for serious incidents like injuries, deaths, or outbreaks, and requires facilities to employ on-site staff qualified in addiction recovery, prohibit alcohol/drug use with random testing, and provide counseling services. The bill appropriates $100,000 for implementation and amends the 1979 Rooming and Boarding House Act to create specific regulatory standards for these facilities. These changes directly affect operators of cooperative sober living residences and their residents.