Asm. Lisa Swain

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 1371) allows parents or legal custodians separated from their children due to federal immigration actions - such as detention, arrest, or removal - to formally appoint a standby guardian for their minor child. It expands existing standby guardianship law to specifically include "administrative separation" caused by immigration enforcement. Parents can designate a guardian through written consent (without needing medical proof for immigration-related cases), and the guardian assumes care upon the parent's separation, without terminating parental rights. The bill directly affects immigrant parents facing immigration enforcement actions who wish to secure childcare arrangements in advance.

Maddy summaryThis bill bans the farming (aquaculture) of any octopus species for human consumption in New Jersey, exempting wild-caught octopus. It prohibits businesses from selling, possessing, or transporting octopus products resulting from aquaculture. Violations carry civil penalties up to $1,000 per day, with each day of violation treated as a separate offense. The law takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill adopts the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's (IHRA) working definition of antisemitism as an educational resource for New Jersey state agencies, schools, and law enforcement. It defines antisemitism as hatred toward Jews, including specific examples like Holocaust denial, harmful stereotypes (e.g., conspiracy theories about Jewish control), and double standards applied to Israel. The definition is explicitly non-binding and must be used while protecting constitutional rights like free speech. New Jersey lawmakers cite the state's high rate of antisemitic incidents - including ranking third nationally in 2023 - as the basis for this measure.

Maddy summaryThis bill, if enacted, would allow 16- and 17-year-old New Jersey residents who are U.S. citizens and have lived in a school district for 30 days to vote **only** in local school board elections. It requires the Secretary of State to create a registration process and ballot design for these voters that mirrors the system used for other eligible voters. The bill explicitly states that 16- and 17-year-olds cannot vote in any other elections, such as for state or federal offices. School boards and municipalities would not be required to take any action to implement this change.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1685) reinstates automatic annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for retirement benefits paid to members of New Jersey's state-administered retirement systems, including teachers' pensions. It directly affects current and future retirees in these systems by ensuring their benefits automatically increase each year to match inflation, rather than requiring separate legislative action for each adjustment. The key mechanism is amending existing law to restore the automatic COLA provision that was previously removed, linking benefit increases directly to the Consumer Price Index. This change simplifies the process and provides predictable income growth for retirees without requiring new votes for each adjustment. The bill is sponsored by Assemblywomen Reynolds-Jackson and Speight and co-sponsored by multiple legislators.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends a provision allowing retired members of the New Jersey Legislature who are enrolled in the Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS) to return to part-time employment with the Legislature. It specifically increases the maximum return period from four years to seven years for eligible retirees who retired before 2025 (or during 2022-2024) under certain conditions. To qualify, retirees must have had a bona fide retirement (not prearranged), work no more than 20 hours weekly, and meet service retirement age requirements. The change applies to those already returning under the current law, permitting them to extend their return to seven years from the date of reemployment.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's retirement exception for police and fire chiefs in the Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). It allows deputy police chiefs who were promoted to chief within 12 months of April 12, 2022 (the effective date of the original law), and who would turn 65 between April 2022 and April 2027, to remain employed past age 65 with written approval from their appointing authority until they reach age 67. The bill requires the retirement system's Board of Trustees to report on how many such members were retained, their extended service duration, and the impact on the system. This specifically extends an existing provision (P.L.2022, c.9) to cover a new group of promoted deputies, not affecting other retirement rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all menstrual products sold in New Jersey - including tampons, pads, discs, cups, and underwear (both disposable and reusable) - to list every ingredient on the package in descending order of quantity. The label must be clearly visible and understandable to consumers. Manufacturers who sell noncompliant products after the bill’s effective date face civil penalties of up to 1% of their annual in-state sales per package, capped at $1,000 per item, enforced by the Division of Consumer Affairs. The law applies only to products manufactured after the effective date and excludes shipping packaging.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey higher education and proprietary institutions from withholding student transcripts due to debts under $2,000 for non-mandatory charges (like activity fees). It requires institutions to release transcripts for transfer, graduate programs, or employment purposes regardless of such small debts, but allows them to require repayment plans for larger debts (over $2,000) or mandatory fees (tuition, room/board). Institutions cannot charge extra fees for transcripts or use transcript issuance to collect debt. Students needing transcripts for new or refinanced student loans cannot have their transcripts restricted. The law applies only to students residing in the U.S.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the commission managing New Jersey's State House Complex to adopt and implement an environmental sustainability plan every four years. The plan must include specific measures like energy efficiency upgrades, water conservation (including drought-resistant landscaping), adherence to green building standards, sustainable food service options (such as local produce and compostable utensils), and strategies to reduce carbon emissions. The commission must also issue annual public progress reports and establish performance metrics to track the plan's implementation. This directly affects the management of the State House Complex, mandating concrete environmental practices for its operations.