Asm. Cody Miller

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates automatic cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for retirement benefits of certain retired police and firefighters in New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). It applies specifically to members who have been retired and receiving benefits for at least 10 years, excluding those hired after the bill's effective date, those in deferred retirement, and those with 20-24 years of service. The COLAs are tied to the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners, with benefits up to $75,000 receiving full adjustment, while higher benefits are capped at a 1% annual increase. The $75,000 threshold will adjust annually based on inflation, and the bill requires the Legislature to appropriate funds to cover both state and local costs for these adjustments.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) to provide current non-retired members and those applying for retirement after the bill's effective date with the same benefits as members enrolled before July 1, 2007. It eliminates tiered membership by moving all current TPAF members to Tier 1, requires public employers to enroll eligible employees (earning above minimum salary but not meeting hour requirements) in TPAF, and allows Defined Contribution Retirement Program participants to transfer service credit to TPAF without transferring contributions. Participants in the Defined Contribution Retirement Program have six months to opt out of the transfer after receiving notice. These changes apply only to retirement applications processed after the bill becomes law.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A908) requires New Jersey's Attorney General to create a statewide Internet-based tracking system for rape kits (sexual assault forensic evidence kits). It directly affects victims of sexual assault, healthcare facilities that collect kits, law enforcement agencies, and laboratories that process them. The system must track kits through every step - from collection at a hospital to final disposition - allowing authorized users to monitor the chain of custody. The Attorney General must issue guidelines to implement the system, which takes effect seven months after enactment. The bill focuses on improving transparency and accountability in handling rape kits, not on changing legal standards for sexual assault cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends the lists of environmental infrastructure projects eligible for loans from New Jersey's Infrastructure Bank for fiscal year 2025. It modifies the project eligibility lists by adding new projects, removing some projects, and adjusting the priority rankings and loan amounts for certain projects. The bill reduces the total funding authorization from $2.73 billion to $2.47 billion and changes the total number of eligible projects from 240 to 227, including 152 clean water projects and 67 drinking water projects. These changes affect local governments, public water utilities, and other project sponsors seeking funding for environmental infrastructure improvements.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly Resolution 156 requests that the U.S. Congress pass federal legislation providing legal remedies for individuals harmed by exposure to PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and funding research into PFAS health effects. PFAS, persistent "forever chemicals" found in drinking water, consumer products, and workplaces, are linked to cancer, reproductive harm, and immune system damage. The resolution specifically supports the proposed federal "PFAS Accountability Act of 2024" and urges Congress to establish a legal pathway for victims to seek redress from manufacturers. This resolution does not create new laws but advocates for federal action to address widespread PFAS exposure risks across communities.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution expresses the New Jersey General Assembly's support for the "Breakfast Bowl," an annual football game between Montclair State University and Rowan University designed to raise awareness about food insecurity in New Jersey. The resolution recognizes the universities' existing food insecurity initiatives, including Montclair's Red Hawk Pantry and Rowan's SHOP food pantry, which provide fresh produce and food assistance to students and community members. The winner of the game will also determine whether New Jersey's signature breakfast meat is called "Pork Roll" or "Taylor Ham" until the next year's event.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's law governing employment programs for people with disabilities, renaming the "Sheltered Workshop Act" to the "Extended Employment Act." It changes eligibility requirements by redefining disabilities from "severe" to "significant" and removes the need for participants to complete workshop programs or prove they can't compete in the regular labor market. The bill eliminates oversight by the New Jersey Commission for the Blind and Visually Impaired, revises funding mechanisms to adjust annually based on inflation, and repeals outdated provisions about product labeling and sales from these programs. The changes aim to modernize the program to better serve people with disabilities who may not have qualified under previous rules. The bill directly affects nonprofit extended employment providers and people with disabilities enrolled in these programs.

Maddy summary# Summary of New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Bill This legislative bill amends New Jersey's unemployment insurance (UI) laws to make several significant changes: 1. **Expanded Dependent Coverage**: Adds disabled, unmarried adult children of UI claimants (whose disability began before age 22) to the dependents counted when calculating weekly benefit amounts. 2. **Student Eligibility**: Removes the current requirement that claimants must have earned sufficient wages while enrolled in full-time education. Eligible individuals who are students in full-time attendance or on vacation from an educational institution are no longer deemed ineligible for UI benefits, provided they remain available for work. 3. **Training Program Eligibility**: Shifts provisions allowing UI benefits for participants in department-approved training programs from being an exception to being a standard eligibility circumstance, with participation required to align with existing provisions. 4. **Electronic Communication**: Allows claimants to request electronic notification of their initial benefit determination. 5. **Appeal Process**: Clarifies that benefits paid pending appeal are based on the initial determination until the appeal tribunal makes a decision, after which benefits are paid according to the appeal tribunal's decision. 6. **Overpayment Rules**: Removes the requirement that employers be charged for overpayments before appeal resolution. It also revises overpayment repayment rules to provide full waiver if the overpayment was caused by department or employer error (without claimant misrepresentation), or if the claimant is deceased, disabled, or recovery would be contrary to equity and good conscience. 7. **Average Weekly Wage Calculation**: Changes how average weekly wage is calculated to be based on wages with all base year employers (not just the most recent employer), with the total number of base weeks limited to 52. 8. **Extended Benefits**: Modifies requirements for claimants disqualified due to misconduct or failure to accept suitable work, requiring only completion of regular UI disqualification period rather than earning four times the weekly benefit rate. The bill also requires the Department of Labor to develop electronic access for claimants to view their benefit payment status and history. Sections 4 and 6 of the bill apply retroactively to July 31, 2023, effectively making it as if the provisions they replace (added by P.L.2022, c.120) never took effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill delays New Jersey's implementation of Advanced Clean Trucks (ACT) regulations until January 1, 2027 - pushing back the current 2025 deadline. It directly affects vehicle manufacturers of medium- and heavy-duty trucks, requiring them to sell increasing percentages of zero-emission vehicles (capping at 40-75% of annual sales by 2035). The bill modifies New Jersey’s adoption of California’s 2021 ACT regulations, which mandate phased EV sales targets, by prohibiting the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from enforcing these rules before 2027. The delay gives manufacturers more time to adapt to the requirements while maintaining the state’s alignment with California’s emissions program.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4881) requires New Jersey colleges and universities to notify state education agencies when the federal government approves borrower defense loan discharge for a student. Specifically, institutions must inform the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority and the Secretary of Higher Education within a reasonable time after receiving federal notice of approved discharge. The bill also mandates that institutions report whether the student was a New Jersey resident during enrollment. This ensures state agencies are aware of discharged loans for potential state-level support or oversight, aligning with federal borrower defense rules that allow loan discharge when institutions engaged in misconduct harming students.