Asm. Shama Haider

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2188, now P.L.2024, c.66) requires large public water systems (serving over 100 connections and using surface or groundwater) and certain buildings to prevent Legionnaires' disease outbreaks. It mandates maintaining minimum disinfectant levels (0.3 mg/L chlorine or 1.0 mg/L chloramine) and creating annual maintenance plans to reduce Legionella bacteria risks. Water systems must report disruptions to the state within 72 hours and implement flushing, testing, and infrastructure upgrades. The state will create a public dashboard showing disruption reports and adopt rules for compliance, with penalties for violations like failing to meet disinfectant standards. The law directly affects water system operators and building owners, aiming to improve water safety through specific, measurable requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's law prohibiting feeding black bears by replacing the previous "unintentional feeding" exemption with specific, allowed activities. It permits certain actions without penalty, including agricultural operations (with food stored properly), bird feeders maintained under strict conditions (e.g., 10-foot height, nightly emptying), animal shelters feeding pets (with uneaten food removed nightly), and government wildlife management. The law also changes where civil penalties for violations go, directing collected fines to the local municipality instead of the Division of Fish and Wildlife. It directly affects residents, farmers, and pet owners in bear-prone areas by clarifying permitted feeding practices.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits real estate appraisers in New Jersey from considering protected characteristics - including race, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, disability, or national origin - when valuing properties. It directly affects licensed and certified real estate appraisers by banning these discriminatory factors from appraisal analysis. The key mechanism requires appraisers to complete a mandatory fair housing and appraisal bias training course (approved by the Appraisal Qualifications Board) as part of their continuing education for license renewal. The law codifies existing anti-discrimination protections and aligns with national standards for appraisal practice.

Maddy summaryThis bill imposes civil penalties on New Jersey employers who threaten or disclose an employee's immigration status to prevent them from reporting violations of state labor, wage, or tax laws. Employers face escalating fines: up to $1,000 for a first violation, $5,000 for a second, and $10,000 for subsequent violations, with each affected employee counted as a separate violation. It directly affects employers who use immigration status as coercion - such as threatening to report an undocumented worker to hide unpaid wages or benefits - to avoid accountability under laws like the State Wage and Hour Law or Gross Income Tax Act. The penalties apply in addition to any existing penalties for the underlying labor violation.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the Child Care Revitalization Act to restrict $54.5 million in federal funds to licensed child care centers only, removing previous language that would have included registered family child care homes. It ensures facilities improvement grants - ranging from $50,000 to $200,000 - are available solely to licensed centers (not family child care providers) for projects like facility upgrades. The change formalizes an existing exclusion, as family child care providers were never eligible in the initial grant phase. The bill, signed into law as P.L.2024, c.50, directly affects licensed child care centers seeking federal recovery funds for physical improvements.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey school districts to enter into lease and purchase agreements for electric school buses with terms extending to the vehicles' service life (rather than the current 10-year maximum for fossil fuel buses). It authorizes the New Jersey School Boards Association to serve as a government aggregator to help school districts obtain electric school buses, charging infrastructure, and related maintenance services through competitive contracting. The bill specifically permits competitive contracting for electric school buses, on-site charging infrastructure, and related services, which were not previously explicitly included in the list of allowable specialized procurement. School districts can now use this approach for electric buses while maintaining the existing 10-year limit for fossil fuel buses.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the New Jersey Infrastructure Bank to provide up to $7,198,045 in low-interest loans for six specific hazard mitigation and resilience projects across six local governments (including Jersey City, Hoboken, and Bergen County). The loans, part of the Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program (CHAMP), will finance projects like flood mitigation at pump stations and park resilience improvements to reduce climate-related risks. The bank may use interest from repayments and loan origination fees to fund these projects and cover operational costs, with all loans requiring repayment within 30 years. The authorization is specific to fiscal year 2025 and expires on July 1, 2025.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Jersey's down payment assistance program to provide additional support for first-generation homebuyers. It increases the maximum down payment assistance to $20,000 for first-time homebuyers, with an extra $7,000-$10,000 specifically for first-generation homebuyers (defined as individuals whose parents never owned residential property and who may have been in foster care). The program requires recipients to use the home as their primary residence for five years, complete homebuyer counseling, and repay the loan if they move before the five-year term. The assistance is structured as a zero-interest, forgivable loan if all conditions are met.

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Jersey's down payment assistance program to better support first-generation and first-time homebuyers. It increases the maximum zero-interest, forgivable loan amount from $15,000 to $20,000, adds an extra $7,000-$10,000 for first-generation homebuyers (defined as those without parental home ownership history or who were in foster care), and requires recipients to use the home as their primary residence for five years. The program must allocate at least 50% of annual funding to first-generation homebuyers, with detailed reporting on recipient demographics and program effectiveness. This directly affects low-to-moderate income homebuyers seeking to purchase single-family homes through the state’s housing agency.

Maddy summaryThis bill restricts the Child Care Facilities Improvement Program grants - funded by federal Coronavirus Relief Funds - to licensed child care centers only, removing eligibility for registered family child care homes. The program provides grants of $50,000 to $200,000 for facility improvements to centers licensed by the Department of Children and Families before June 4, 2021. The change ensures federal funds are used exclusively for licensed centers, while the state plans a separate state-funded program for family child care providers to simplify administrative processes. This adjustment aligns with the sponsor’s goal of reducing compliance burdens for family child care providers through dedicated state resources.