Asm. Bob Auth

Maddy summaryThis bill adds Bergen County to the list of counties eligible to participate in New Jersey's "Common Sense Shared Services Pilot Program." It directly affects Bergen County municipalities and tenured employees in specific roles like municipal clerks, chief financial officers, assessors, tax collectors, and treasurers. Under the program, participating municipalities can form shared services agreements for these roles without being blocked by tenure rights, allowing dismissal of unselected employees while guaranteeing rehiring and salary restoration if the agreement ends within two years. The change expands the pilot program from seven to eight counties (adding Bergen) to test cost-saving service-sharing models.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a rebuttable presumption of pretrial detention for defendants charged with aggravated assault of a law enforcement officer. Under this law, such defendants would typically remain jailed before trial unless they can prove by a preponderance of evidence that release conditions (like bail or supervision) would ensure their court appearance and public safety. The bill adds this offense to the existing list of crimes triggering this presumption, which currently includes murder and crimes punishable by life imprisonment. This change shifts the burden to the defendant to overcome the presumption, while the prosecution must still establish probable cause for the underlying crime.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (A3835) prohibits requiring individuals to receive or disclose COVID-19 vaccination status as a condition for accessing services or rights. It bans asking about vaccination, mandating vaccines, or demanding proof for 15 specific areas, including employment, education (schools/universities), healthcare, business services, public spaces (parks, restaurants), and government activities. The law makes it unlawful to discriminate against unvaccinated people or those who refuse to disclose their status. Violators face civil penalties of $25,000 plus attorney fees in court, enforceable immediately upon passage. It directly affects all New Jersey residents interacting with businesses, schools, healthcare providers, or public venues.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey institutions of higher education from requiring students to receive a COVID-19 vaccination or provide proof of vaccination as a condition for enrollment, course attendance, or participation in campus programs. It directly affects colleges and universities in New Jersey and the students they serve. The law takes immediate effect, removing vaccination mandates for these educational activities without exceptions for health or safety reasons.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill increases penalties for motor vehicle theft by elevating it to a second-degree crime (up from third-degree), establishes a rebuttable presumption of pretrial detention for those charged with such offenses, and authorizes home detention for minors convicted of motor vehicle theft instead of jail. It also creates a $7 million two-year pilot program through the Juvenile Justice Commission to provide at-risk youth with services including mental health care, substance use treatment, education support, and job training to prevent auto theft. The program will operate in counties with populations over 300,000, with service providers selected through a competitive process, and requires courts to hold hearings for minors arrested for motor vehicle theft within 48 hours.

Maddy summaryBill A3587 upgrades burglary of an occupied residence to a second-degree crime (previously a third-degree offense). If a person was present in the home during the burglary, offenders must serve at least 85% of their prison sentence before becoming eligible for parole, as required by New Jersey's "No Early Release Act." This applies specifically to burglaries of dwellings or structures adapted for overnight accommodation (like homes) when occupants were inside. The change increases penalties for burglaries involving occupied residences compared to unoccupied ones, which remain third-degree crimes.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases penalties for human trafficking involving children under 18 in New Jersey. It changes the punishment for any trafficking of a child (for sexual activity or forced labor) from a minimum 20-year sentence to life imprisonment without parole. Convicted individuals must also pay fines of at least $25,000, which fund a survivor assistance program. The law applies to all forms of child trafficking, regardless of whether the perpetrator mistakenly believed the child was 18 or older.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey law to increase penalties for false public alarms targeting places of worship. It defines a "place of worship" as a building seating over 50 people used permanently for religious services by a registered 501(c)(3) organization. Violations involving such locations become a second-degree crime (previously third-degree) and trigger a minimum $5,000 civil penalty - double the standard $2,000 penalty - plus reimbursement for emergency response costs. The law also requires annual reports from law enforcement on these offenses to the state's Office of Emergency Management.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes how municipalities calculate impervious surfaces (like paved areas) for public parks within New Jersey's Highlands preservation area. Currently, parks must keep impervious surfaces under 3% of each individual park's area. The bill allows municipalities to combine all their municipal parks into one "lot" for this calculation, meaning the total impervious surface across all parks must stay under 3% of the combined park area. This adjustment makes it easier for towns to develop or maintain multiple parks without violating the 3% limit on each separate park. The change specifically excludes open waters and solar panels from the impervious surface calculation.

Maddy summaryThis bill proposes a constitutional amendment to increase New Jersey's veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $1,000 annually, effective for tax year 2022. It would require future annual adjustments to the deduction amount based on changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), with the deduction never decreasing - even if CPI falls - and rounded to the next highest dollar amount. The change would apply to honorably discharged veterans, their surviving spouses, and veterans living in continuing care retirement communities (with specific payment rules for those communities). As a constitutional amendment, it requires voter approval after passing both legislative chambers.