Asm. Cody Miller

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Government Restructuring and Modernization Commission, a 15-member body tasked with reviewing state executive branch departments to identify duplicate services, inefficiencies, and opportunities for consolidation. The commission must submit annual reports to the Governor and Legislature by March 1 each year, focusing on cost savings and improved service delivery while prohibiting layoffs - relying only on natural attrition and retirements for workforce adjustments. It includes representation from the executive branch, Legislature, frontline state employees (with 10+ years' service), and government reform experts to ensure balanced input. The commission will operate transparently with public meetings and an online portal for feedback, aiming to streamline government operations without disrupting public services. The commission expires after five years unless reauthorized.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Regulatory Modernization Commission to review state regulations and identify unnecessary or duplicative rules that burden businesses and residents. The 11-member commission - including public appointees with business, nonprofit, and regulatory expertise, plus state agency leaders - will solicit public input, analyze regulatory impacts, and publish annual reports with recommendations for reform. It requires state agencies to respond to commission proposals within 90 days and mandates a public "Red Tape Reduction Portal" for submitting concerns. The commission has advisory authority only (it cannot change regulations) and will operate with a $250,000 annual budget to support its review process. This directly affects small businesses, nonprofits, and residents navigating New Jersey's regulatory environment.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new offense for people who wear masks or disguises while committing another crime, specifically when the intent is to instill fear, hinder prosecution, or avoid arrest. It only applies if the person is already charged with the underlying crime (like theft or assault) and was wearing the mask/disguise during that crime. The bill explicitly excludes mask-wearing for medical, religious, or expressive reasons, such as during protests or for health conditions. Violating this law is punishable by up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5376) creates two new state entities: the Health Care Cost Containment and Price Transparency Commission (18 members) and the Office of Healthcare Affordability and Transparency within the Department of Health. It requires hospitals to publicly disclose pricing data for inpatient, outpatient, emergency, and physician services (using standard billing codes) and sets annual benchmarks for health care cost growth and hospital prices. Health care entities exceeding these benchmarks must submit improvement plans, and hospitals failing to comply with transparency rules face civil penalties of $10 per bed per day. The bill directly affects all hospitals, health care providers, and payers in New Jersey, with $5 million appropriated for implementation.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires homeschooled children and their parents or guardians in New Jersey to meet annually with a designated school district representative (a counselor, nurse, or social worker). The meeting serves two purposes: allowing parents to request academic or resource support from the school district, and enabling the representative to conduct a general health and wellness check of the child. The requirement applies to all families using home education programs within a New Jersey school district. The law takes effect in the first full school year after it is enacted.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to add social media development services to its existing Small Business E-commerce Support Program. The program currently offers digital marketing and e-commerce consulting to eligible small businesses (like restaurants, retail stores, and personal care businesses in commercial locations). The bill mandates that EDA include social media platform development assistance alongside current services such as website creation and digital marketing planning. This change applies only to the current pilot program under the Main Street Recovery Finance Program, not future initiatives. The policy directly affects small businesses seeking digital support through this state-funded program.

Maddy summaryThis bill dedicates a portion of wine sales tax revenue to the "Jersey Fresh Program Fund." Specifically, it requires the State Treasurer to deposit $0.21875 per gallon from wine, vermouth, and sparkling wine sales by licensed wineries into the fund, equaling 25% of that tax. The money will fund the Jersey Fresh branding program, which promotes locally grown New Jersey agricultural products like fruits, vegetables, seafood, and processed foods through advertising and marketing. This expands the fund's current sources, which previously relied on voluntary contributions via income tax returns.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows licensed breweries, wineries, and distilleries in New Jersey to sell "Jersey Fresh" alcoholic beverages, which are defined as alcoholic beverages licensed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture under the Jersey Fresh program. Specifically, holders of limited brewery, farm brewery, plenary winery, farm winery, cidery and meadery, and craft distillery licenses can now sell these products at retail for on-premises or off-premises consumption and offer samples. The Jersey Fresh program, established in 1984 to promote New Jersey-grown produce, now extends to alcoholic beverages made from New Jersey farm products. This change does not alter existing licensing requirements but adds a new sales authorization for qualifying license holders. The bill aims to increase consumer awareness about locally produced alcoholic beverages and support New Jersey's agricultural industry.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4812) establishes a 15-member Task Force on Higher Education Governance and Funding to examine New Jersey's higher education system. The task force, appointed by the Governor, Senate President, and Assembly Speaker, includes representatives from public universities, community colleges, student groups, faculty unions, and alumni associations. It will study governance structures, funding mechanisms, oversight roles, and best practices from other states to assess how well the system meets current challenges. The task force must issue a final report with recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within one year, using $200,000 in state funds for administrative costs. The bill does not change funding or governance directly but creates a process for evaluating these systems.

Maddy summaryThe Anthony's Legacy Act (A4989) requires New Jersey courts to give special consideration to grandparents applying for visitation rights if they are Gold Star family members - defined as relatives (such as spouses, parents, children, or legal guardians) of service members who died while on active military duty due to enemy action, accident, or disease. Currently, courts evaluate visitation applications based on factors like the child-grandparent relationship and family dynamics, but this bill mandates that Gold Star grandparents receive heightened attention under those considerations. The law does not alter the existing requirement that applicants must still prove visitation serves the child's best interests. It directly affects grandparents who lost a family member in military service when seeking court-ordered visitation with their grandchildren.