Asm. Chris DePhillips

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Overdose Fatality and Near Fatality Review Board to examine overdose deaths and near-fatalities involving controlled substances in New Jersey. The board will collect confidential data on cases, form regional review teams with medical, law enforcement, and treatment experts, and issue annual reports with recommendations to improve prevention and coordination among state agencies. It requires the board to maintain confidential records of cases (without identifying personal details), subpoena relevant treatment and medical records (while respecting confidentiality laws), and notify prosecutors if criminal activity is suspected. The board aims to identify causes of overdoses, assess government system responses, and propose system-wide improvements to reduce future incidents.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA), and Palisades Interstate Park Commission to adopt regulations allowing drivers on their respective toll roads to choose their own towing company for towing and storage services. The law mandates that these authorities must permit driver choice in towing services, while still allowing them to contract with towing companies for vehicles deemed abandoned. The bill repeals previous provisions requiring NJTA and SJTA to register towing companies. This change applies to the New Jersey Turnpike, Garden State Parkway, Atlantic City Expressway, and Palisades Interstate Parkway.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires security personnel at gated residential communities and multi-unit buildings to allow authorized court officers (like sheriffs, constables, or court attendants) to enter and serve legal documents on residents. Security staff must permit entry upon presentation of the officer's photo ID and the legal document itself. Refusing this request is a petty disorderly persons offense punishable by up to 30 days in jail or a $500 fine. The bill directly affects security guards in these properties and streamlines legal service processes.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes the deadline for filling vacancies in four county offices (surrogate, clerk, register of deeds and mortgages, and sheriff) when they occur near an election. If a vacancy happens within 70 days before a general election (instead of the current 37 days), the seat will be filled at the second general election after the vacancy, not the next one. The change aligns these offices with other county positions and ensures compliance with mail-in ballot deadlines requiring 45 days' notice before elections. It directly affects voters and county officials in New Jersey by altering when vacancies in these specific roles are resolved.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Assembly resolution (AR 50) urges the U.S. President and Congress to create a federal student loan forgiveness program specifically for doctors, nurses, and emergency medical services (EMS) workers who provided care during the COVID-19 pandemic. It targets healthcare professionals in private-sector roles not covered by the existing Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF), which requires government or non-profit employment. The resolution highlights these workers' heightened risks, stress, and significant student debt from lengthy education as justification for the program. As a non-binding resolution, it formally requests federal action to reduce financial burdens on pandemic-era healthcare workers.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a COVID-19 Memorial Commission within New Jersey's Department of Health to design and build a memorial honoring state residents who died from the pandemic. The commission, composed of 11 members including state officials and appointed public representatives (with at least one having personal pandemic experience), will select the memorial's location, design, and funding approach. A dedicated "COVID-19 Memorial Fund" will be created in the Department of the Treasury to collect donations and appropriations for the memorial's construction and long-term maintenance. The commission will operate until six months after the memorial is completed.

Maddy summaryBill A1316 exempts New Jersey volunteer fire companies from paying the annual charitable registration fee required under state law. Currently, these organizations must pay fees ranging from $30 to $250 annually based on revenue, but they are not automatically exempt like some other nonprofits. The bill amends Section 6 of New Jersey’s Charitable Registration Act to specifically remove this fee requirement for volunteer fire companies. This change does not eliminate their obligation to register as charitable organizations but reduces their annual administrative costs. The exemption applies immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A1343) allows New Jersey homeowners with solar electrical generators installed in their primary residence to deduct up to $10,000 from their gross income for the cost of purchasing and installing battery backup systems. It directly affects residential solar users seeking to store excess energy for use during power outages. The deduction applies to costs paid during the taxable year and takes effect immediately upon enactment for future tax years. The policy aims to incentivize battery storage adoption, enabling solar-powered homes to maintain electricity during grid disruptions.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an 11-member Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Study Commission to review how New Jersey's 2001 public records law operates in practice. The commission, including representatives from government, media, municipal clerks, privacy experts, and legal professionals, will examine OPRA's implementation, balance with privacy rights, commercial use, and technological impacts over one year. It will analyze other states' public records laws and make recommendations for improving OPRA's effectiveness. The commission's findings and suggestions will be submitted to the Legislature and Governor within one year of its formation. This bill directly affects government record custodians, journalists, privacy advocates, and the public seeking government transparency.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's tax code to provide a $6,000 gross income tax deduction for surviving spouses of qualifying veterans. It directly affects spouses who were married to a veteran at the time of their death, were living together continuously (with limited exceptions), and have not remarried or cohabited with another person in a spousal relationship. The deduction applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment and matches the existing $6,000 deduction available to veterans themselves. Eligibility requires the veteran to have died while on active duty, been honorably discharged, or been released under honorable circumstances from military service. The deduction remains available if the spouse remarries after age 57, or if the remarriage was void, annulled, or obtained without fraud.