Asm. Lisa Swain

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $12 million from the General Fund to the Village of Ridgewood in Bergen County for drinking water infrastructure improvements addressing PFAS pollution. It directly affects Ridgewood Water, the public water system serving over 60,000 residents across Ridgewood, Midland Park, Glen Rock, and Wyckoff. The funding is a supplemental appropriation to offset costs of PFAS-related infrastructure upgrades, preventing the need for significant rate increases on residents. The bill takes immediate effect and is tied to the 2024 fiscal year appropriations.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2165) allows spouses and dependent children of active-duty military service members to maintain New Jersey in-state tuition rates at public colleges and universities if the service member is transferred to another state. It specifically applies to those who were already enrolled in a New Jersey public institution before the transfer and maintain continuous enrollment. The bill also extends this benefit to military dependents who attended New Jersey high school for at least three years, regardless of where they live when enrolling. These changes amend existing law (P.L.1985, c.231) to ensure military-connected students avoid sudden tuition increases due to relocation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drivers in New Jersey to safely pass pedestrians, cyclists, and users of mobility devices like wheelchairs, scooters, and skateboards. Drivers must either change lanes (if safe), maintain at least four feet of distance, or slow to 25 mph when passing these road users. It specifically defines "personal conveyance" to include devices such as electric scooters, manual wheelchairs, and skateboards, and expands "pedestrian" to cover workers and emergency responders on roadways. Violating these rules results in fines of $100 (without injury) or $500 (with injury), plus penalty points for serious violations. The law, now effective as P.L.2024, c.11, aims to improve safety for vulnerable road users.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires Medicaid and state health benefit programs to cover over-the-counter contraceptives approved by the FDA without requiring a prescription. It mandates that coverage must be provided without cost-sharing (no deductibles, copays, or coinsurance) for a 12-month supply of these contraceptives. The bill requires health plans to establish mechanisms allowing people to access contraceptives without paying at the pharmacy or to pay and submit for reimbursement. It also clarifies that pharmacist protocols for dispensing contraceptives don't apply to over-the-counter FDA-approved contraceptives. The bill expands public awareness campaigns to inform people about both pharmacy access and coverage options for these contraceptives.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Agriculture to promote community supported agriculture (CSA) programs, where consumers pay for a share of a farm's seasonal harvest. The Department must create a public website with searchable CSA listings and subscription links, use various media to advertise CSA benefits, and develop promotional labels for CSA products. It also establishes "Community Supported Agriculture Week" in February and requires schools to incorporate CSA into meal programs and curriculum through the existing Farm to School program. The bill expands the use of the "New Jersey Farm Products Publicity Fund" to include CSA promotion and updates the Farm to School website to facilitate CSA subscriptions between schools and farms.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts sales of materials, supplies, and services used in building or improving affordable housing projects from New Jersey's sales and use tax. It specifically applies to projects where all housing units are intended for moderate, low, or very low-income residents, as defined by state law. The exemption covers transactions with contractors or repairmen for these projects, reducing development costs for housing sponsors. This expands existing tax exemptions to include a new category of affordable housing developments.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires drivers in New Jersey to exercise caution when passing specific road users. It expands the definition of "pedestrian" to include workers, emergency responders, and people using mobility devices (like wheelchairs or scooters), and defines "personal conveyance" to cover devices such as electric scooters, skateboards, and mobility aids. Drivers must either change lanes, maintain at least four feet of distance, or reduce speed to 25 mph when passing these individuals. Violations result in fines of $100 (no points) or $500 (with points) if bodily injury occurs.

Maddy summaryThis symbolic Assembly Resolution (AR 122) condemns the Alabama Supreme Court ruling in *LePage v. Mobile Infirmary Clinic* (which treats embryos as "extrauterine children") and federal bill H.R. 431 (which would extend constitutional personhood to embryos from fertilization). It reaffirms New Jersey’s existing protections for reproductive health care access, including in vitro fertilization (IVF), which the state already supports through laws requiring insurance coverage for fertility services. The resolution does not create new legal requirements but publicly opposes actions that threaten IVF access and reproductive freedom. New Jersey has previously enacted measures to shield patients and providers from out-of-state prosecution for legally accessed reproductive care.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides $2 million in state funding to New Jersey's Department of Labor to support county prosecutors in enforcing wage payment laws. It requires each county prosecutor's office to assign a dedicated assistant prosecutor to investigate and prosecute cases where employers fail to pay wages or violate wage-hour laws. The funding covers both financial resources and training for prosecutors to handle these cases more effectively. This directly affects workers who are owed wages and county prosecutors who will now have dedicated staff and resources for wage enforcement.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the requirement that New Jersey child care subsidy payments for licensed centers and registered family day care providers be based on the number of enrolled eligible children (not attendance) through June 30, 2025. It directly affects child care providers who receive state subsidies, requiring them to calculate staff wages and hours based on enrollment numbers rather than attendance. The law also mandates that the Division of Family Development study the cost differences between enrollment-based and attendance-based payments and report findings to the Governor and Legislature within three years. This extension provides stability for providers while ensuring subsidy calculations align with enrollment data.