Asm. Chris Tully

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public utilities to provide daily updates to mayors and municipal clerks (or their designees) about service work occurring within a municipality, including emergency repairs affecting municipal buildings. The updates must cover the status of work from start to finish, with the Board of Public Utilities setting the specific format and requirements, especially for emergencies involving electric service to public buildings. It directly affects municipalities and public utilities operating within New Jersey communities, ensuring local officials receive timely information about utility activities. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey professional licensing boards to calculate the national average time other states take to approve initial credentials for each regulated profession or occupation. Boards must collect this data from other states (or national associations) within six months of the bill's effective date, then use the approved national average as their processing standard for new applications. If a board fails to meet the national average after one year, it must use licensing fees to hire a third-party expert to identify best practices for faster processing, which must be implemented immediately. The Division of Consumer Affairs reviews compliance annually to ensure boards meet the established timelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Police to provide the Legislature with biannual reports on sex offenders who fail to meet address verification requirements under Megan's Law. County and municipal law enforcement agencies must report to the State Police every 180 days a list of registered sex offenders who haven't verified their addresses as required. Under Megan's Law, some offenders must verify their addresses every 90 days while others must do so annually. The State Police will compile these reports and provide the Legislature with the total number of non-compliant offenders and the specific offenses that required registration. This bill directly affects the state's oversight of Megan's Law compliance and provides legislative transparency on sex offender registration enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an Office of Financial Assistance within New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to help eligible small businesses access public financial assistance like grants, loans, and tax credits. It directly affects companies with fewer than 225 employees (75% working in New Jersey) operating in specified industries like biotechnology or renewable energy. The key mechanism requires the office to create a digital platform allowing these businesses to identify available programs, store application documents, submit multiple applications simultaneously, and track their status. State agencies offering such assistance must use this platform for all applications and ensure its information stays current.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows state employees who were temporarily working at New Jersey psychiatric hospitals or correctional facilities before joining the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS) to apply for accidental disability benefits if injured during that temporary employment. It deems injuries sustained while performing duties (e.g., as nurses, correction officers, or healthcare workers) at those facilities as occurring "during membership" for PERS benefit eligibility, even if the injury happened before PERS enrollment. The change applies retroactively to January 1, 2003, and covers employees who later become PERS members without interruption in their job. This specifically affects temporary workers in state psychiatric or correctional facilities who were previously ineligible for PERS disability benefits after becoming members.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires businesses bidding on New Jersey state contracts exceeding $50,000 to disclose all labor and employment law violations committed by the business within the past two years. It applies to violations of federal, state, or local laws covering wage/hour rules, workplace safety (like OSHA), workers' compensation, and the New Jersey Employer-Employee Relations Act. State agencies must review these disclosures and may disqualify bidders with serious violations that threaten employee health/safety or show disregard for labor laws. The requirement applies to all state agencies contracting for goods, services, or public construction.

Maddy summaryThis bill transfers administration of all school meal programs in New Jersey from the Department of Agriculture to the Department of Education. It covers programs including the National School Lunch Program, School Breakfast Program, Summer Food Service Program, and emergency meal distributions, which provide nutritious meals to students and children in childcare settings. The transfer includes all related functions, funding, staff, records, and existing rules (which remain in effect until replaced by the Department of Education). The change aims to align program management with the Department of Education’s mission of supporting student academic success through school-based services.

Maddy summaryThis bill would raise the minimum age to obtain a firearms purchaser identification card (required for purchasing rifles and shotguns) from 18 to 21 years old. It would not affect the existing requirement that handgun purchasers must be at least 21 years old. Under the bill, people under 21 could still possess firearms for specific purposes like hunting with a valid license and safety certification, military training, or target practice under supervision. Active duty military members, reservists, and National Guard members would remain eligible for the card before age 21. Those who already had the card before the bill's effective date could continue to use it.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create a statewide plan within one year to reduce public lead exposure from contaminated soil and drinking water. The DEP must use existing soil test data from cleanup sites, public water testing results, and other relevant information to identify high-risk geographic areas, prioritize public funding for soil and water remediation, and develop a public education program about lead health risks. The plan must be updated every five years and made publicly available online. It directly affects DEP operations and aims to protect residents in communities with lead contamination.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A1883 bill prohibits social media platforms from using features or practices known to cause addiction in users under 18, such as infinite scroll or autoplay that leads to obsessive use causing harm. Platforms must conduct annual third-party audits to prove they don’t use addictive features, and if audits reveal risks, they must fix them within 30 days. Small platforms (under $100 million annual revenue) and those primarily for gaming are exempt from these requirements. Violations could result in civil penalties up to $250,000 per offense, but the bill explicitly excludes liability for user-generated content or conduct protected by federal law.