Asm. Cody Miller

Maddy summaryThis bill provides tuition assistance for retired New Jersey law enforcement officers who left service due to disability. Eligible officers can attend public colleges or licensed private colleges tuition-free for up to 16 credits per semester, covering costs not covered by existing state or federal grants and scholarships. To qualify, officers must have retired in good standing after at least four years of full-time service, be enrolled as an undergraduate or graduate student in good academic standing, and have applied for all other available financial aid. The state reimburses institutions directly for qualifying tuition expenses, modeled after similar benefits for National Guard members.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Planning Commission to create model ordinances for siting warehouses (like distribution centers), helping towns and cities update their zoning rules. Municipalities can apply for up to $50,000 in reimbursement from a new $5 million state fund to revise zoning codes to align with these models. The law aims to help communities determine where large warehouses can be built, avoiding conflicts near homes, schools, parks, and historic areas. It directly affects local governments managing land use planning and warehouse development.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 16-member Task Force on Student Mental Health to examine public school programs addressing student mental health challenges like depression, anxiety, and trauma. The task force includes education officials, school staff (teachers, counselors, psychologists), parents, and appointed experts to study how schools identify mental health needs, evaluate counseling services, link mental health to school safety, determine funding requirements, and review successful programs from other states. The task force must issue a final report with recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within one year of organizing, after which it will expire. The bill directly affects all public school students in New Jersey by aiming to improve access to mental health care programs through evidence-based policy recommendations.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's Community College Opportunity Grant Program to include career and technical education programs at county colleges and vocational schools. It allows students enrolled in at least six credits of career training at county colleges or four+ months of career programs at vocational schools to receive last-dollar grants covering remaining tuition costs not covered by other aid. The program now supports students preparing for industry certifications or licenses, with income eligibility capped at $65,000 and grants administered by the Higher Education Student Assistance Authority. Eligible students at county colleges can receive funding for up to six semesters, while vocational students can access support for up to two years. This change makes career-focused education more affordable for New Jersey residents seeking workforce skills.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2968) establishes a three-year "Comprehensive Geriatric Fall Prevention Pilot Program" within New Jersey's Department of Human Services (DHS), targeting at least 6,000 elderly Medicaid recipients aged 60+ for fall prevention services. It appropriates $11.7 million from the General Fund to provide proven interventions, including individualized fall risk assessments, counseling, and rehabilitation services, while designating another 6,000 Medicaid recipients as a control group to measure effectiveness. The program aims to reduce fall-related injuries and hospitalizations - directly affecting vulnerable seniors - and is modeled on successful state programs that achieved significant Medicaid cost savings. DHS must evaluate the pilot's cost-effectiveness within three years and report findings to the Legislature, with the program intended to be financially self-supporting through reduced Medicaid costs.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows counties, municipalities, and local economic development organizations to form joint regional partnerships to coordinate economic planning and development. These partnerships can include businesses, schools, nonprofits, and other regional entities working together to attract new businesses, support existing ones, redevelop areas, and share project costs. Partnerships may access loans or matching grants for marketing and business growth initiatives, and must register with the New Jersey Economic Development Authority. The bill also permits local governments to create alternative agreements for joint economic projects, subject to approval by the Local Finance Board.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A876 bill would create a single online application for residents to pre-apply for affordable and senior housing (determining initial eligibility and waitlist position) and to apply for 10 housing subsidy programs, including Section 8 vouchers, rental assistance, and energy aid (where the application serves as final eligibility determination). Currently, applicants must submit separate forms for each housing option and subsidy program. The application would allow users to select specific municipalities, counties, or regions and cover rental, for-sale, temporary, and priority housing types. This consolidates fragmented processes into one platform, reducing administrative burden for applicants.

Maddy summaryThis bill redirects fines collected from people convicted of "prostitution as a patron" (paying for sex) to the existing Human Trafficking Survivor's Assistance Fund. Specifically, it requires municipal courts to send these fines directly to the state Treasury for deposit into the fund, instead of the local treasury. The fund, established in 2013, uses these monies to provide services for trafficking victims, promote awareness, and develop educational materials. This policy change applies only to fines from the specific offense of paying for sex, not other prostitution-related crimes.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands liability for housing, building, and health code violations by holding certain individuals personally responsible when their commercial entity (like a corporation or limited liability company) acts as a residential landlord. Specifically, it allows courts to hold members of member-managed LLCs with at least 10% ownership, managers of manager-managed LLCs, and corporate directors/officers jointly and severally liable for unpaid code charges, provided there are at least three unpaid charges after 13 months, proper notice was given to relevant parties, and the individual doesn't successfully claim they couldn't ensure payment. The bill also updates landlord registration requirements to require commercial landlords to provide detailed information about associated individuals when registering. This affects commercial entities that own residential rental properties and their associated individuals, making those individuals potentially personally responsible for code violations that remain unpaid for over a year.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires public and nonpublic schools with lunch programs in New Jersey to gradually expand free lunch eligibility over a five-year period, eventually providing free lunch to all students regardless of income or federal eligibility. Starting with the 2023-2024 school year, schools must provide free lunch to students from families with incomes between 186-199% of the federal poverty level, with the income threshold increasing each year until all students qualify by the 2028-2029 school year. The state would provide funding to school districts to cover the costs of serving free lunch to students who are federally ineligible but meet the income criteria. The bill also includes reporting requirements for schools to track eligibility and income levels of students receiving free lunch, and mandates that schools take steps to minimize program costs while maintaining nutritional standards.