Asm. Dan Hutchison

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts using AI-powered video surveillance systems to create and implement a written policy. The policy must detail the system's benefits and challenges, specify what data is collected, explain how data will be used, outline access plans for the data, and mandate clear signage in monitored areas. School boards must also distribute this policy to all parents and guardians of students. The policy requirements take effect for the first full school year after the bill becomes law.

Maddy summaryThis bill eliminates the automatic presumption that defendants charged with sex offenses against minors (victims under 18) can be released before trial. Instead, courts must now evaluate each case to determine if release would reasonably ensure the defendant's court appearance and protect community safety. The law specifically removes the "presumption of pretrial release" for these offenses, requiring judges to apply stricter standards rather than assuming release is appropriate. It directly affects defendants facing such charges in New Jersey, shifting the burden to the court to justify release conditions. The change applies to all sex offenses against minors defined under state law (C.2C:7-2), not just specific cases.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows winery license holders who produce up to 250,000 gallons of wine annually to sell their wine to other wineries in New Jersey for sale on the buyer's premises, or to sell wine to wineries outside New Jersey in accordance with those states' laws. It establishes a new "supplemental wine production facility sublicense" that permits winery license holders to produce wine at a separate facility they own or lease, with wine sold to other wineries counting toward the buyer's production volume but not the seller's. The bill requires that at least 50% of a winery's annual wine sales must be produced on its own premises. Winery license holders with this sublicense pay a $750 fee and cannot sell wine directly to consumers at the supplemental facility. This change provides wineries with more flexibility in production and distribution while maintaining certain local production requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A5898) requires New Jersey’s Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study advanced transmission technologies (ATT) that could improve grid capacity and reduce congestion. The study will evaluate specific technologies like dynamic line rating, advanced conductors, and power flow controllers to determine how they might speed up deployment (3 months to 3 years vs. 10 years for traditional infrastructure), lower costs, and support growing energy demand from data centers and manufacturing. The BPU must issue a public report within one year, including stakeholder input from two meetings, to assess ATT’s potential benefits for utilities and customers.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a program offering conditional admission to New Jersey's public colleges and universities for eligible high school seniors. To qualify, students must be NJ residents for at least one year, attend public high school, and meet academic merit standards based on GPA, coursework rigor (like AP/IB classes), test scores, and state assessments. Public institutions must offer admission to qualifying students within their available capacity, though it does not guarantee specific majors or programs. The program requires annual reporting on participation demographics and impact, particularly for low-income students and underserved groups, to assess effectiveness.

Maddy summaryThis bill, the "Patient and Provider Protection Act," imposes new requirements on pharmacy benefits managers (PBMs) in New Jersey. It requires PBMs to have a fiduciary duty to patient health outcomes, prohibits misleading marketing to steer patients to network pharmacies, and bans contracts with drug manufacturers that condition rebates on excluding generic drugs. PBMs must reimburse contracted pharmacies at cost or higher and independent pharmacies at no more than 5% less than contracted rates (but still at cost), and cannot block independent pharmacies from matching network prices. These changes directly affect PBMs, pharmacies (both contracted and independent), and patients covered by health plans using PBMs.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey hospitals to report specific prescription drug data to the Division of Consumer Affairs. Hospitals must certify the accuracy of their reports under penalty of perjury, and failure to comply may result in civil penalties. The bill amends existing law to define key terms like "hospital" and "reporting entity," clarifying which facilities must report and the scope of the requirement. The specific data points for reporting are outlined in other sections of the amended law, but the bill itself establishes the obligation and enforcement mechanism.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's cyber-harassment law to include online communications made with "reckless disregard for the safety of another," not just intentional harassment. It adds a new standard where reckless posts (e.g., spreading harmful content without caring about the impact) become a punishable offense, distinct from intentional acts. Reckless cyber-harassment is now classified as a less severe "disorderly persons offense" (up to 6 months in jail or $1,000 fine), rather than a fourth-degree crime. The law also requires minors convicted of cyber-harassment to complete educational programs, and parents who fail to comply with court orders face fines.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $500,000 from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee for farmland preservation grants. The funds will directly support Oldmans Township in Salem County through a $500,000 base grant for municipal planning, as specified in the bill. The township is also eligible to compete for an additional up to $1 million in competitive grants from existing funds, totaling potential funding of $1.5 million. These grants are designed to incentivize local planning efforts that preserve agricultural land, using revenue dedicated to open space and farmland preservation under New Jersey's constitution.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases payments to New Jersey municipalities for lands owned by the State or qualifying nonprofit organizations for recreation and conservation purposes. It updates a 13-year payment schedule: starting at 100% of prior tax value, then decreasing annually (to 4% in year 13), followed by new per-acre rates after year 13. The rates are $3/acre for municipalities with <20% conservation land, $7.50/acre for 20-40%, $15/acre for 40-60%, and $40/acre for ≥60% conservation land. These payments, funded from the General Fund, replace lost property tax revenue and must be used for the same municipal purposes as regular property taxes. The bill directly affects municipalities with significant conservation land holdings.