Rep. Bill Spearman

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's film and digital media tax credit program to require that all original music and musical scores for qualifying productions must be created and recorded within the United States. It directly affects film and digital media producers seeking tax credits under the program, which provides credits of up to 40% of eligible production costs. The key change adds a mandatory condition: producers must ensure domestic production of original music/scores as part of their eligibility, alongside existing requirements like spending 60% of costs in New Jersey. This policy update applies to all productions claiming the credit, without altering the credit percentages or other existing program rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes the title of the "Chief Diversity Officer" to "Chief Supplier Development Officer" within the Department of the Treasury and creates the New Jersey Office of Supplier Development and Business Opportunities. It requires all state agencies and contracting units to collect and report detailed procurement data - including contract awards to certified businesses like minority-owned, women-owned, LGBTQ+-owned, and veteran-owned enterprises - to this office. The office will analyze the data, monitor compliance with contracting goals, provide training to agencies, and develop a cloud-based system to track contracts. This directly affects state agencies responsible for purchasing goods/services and certified businesses seeking state contracts.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Bill A1696 updates optometrists' scope of practice by expanding their ability to provide eye care services. The bill allows optometrists to prescribe pharmaceutical agents (including controlled substances under specific conditions), administer immunizations for coronaviruses, flu, and shingles (for patients 18+), and perform minor procedures like removing superficial foreign bodies or treating chalazions. It also permits certain non-invasive laser/ultrasound treatments (e.g., trabeculoplasty) using only topical anesthesia, while explicitly prohibiting invasive eye surgery, orbital procedures, or general anesthesia. These changes apply to all optometrists practicing in New Jersey and require adherence to CDC guidelines for immunizations and reporting to the state immunization registry.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts plastic materials processed at designated "advanced plastic processing facilities" from New Jersey's solid waste disposal and recycling laws. These facilities must transform plastic into non-fuel products (like chemicals or monomers) using methods such as pyrolysis, not into fuel. The exemption excludes PETE (code 1) and HDPE (code 2) plastics. Processors using these facilities avoid state recycling/disposal rules but remain subject to air/water pollution and land-use laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $20 million from the General Fund to the New Jersey Department of Education (DOE) specifically for school facility cleaning and sanitization during the COVID-19 pandemic. It directly affects public school districts, charter schools, and nonpublic schools that received a health department directive for a closure on or after March 9, 2020. Funds cover disinfectants, cleaning supplies, and increased personnel costs for enhanced cleaning schedules, with allocations based on student enrollment. The DOE must establish an expedited application and disbursement process for these funds.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill allows public school students aged 16 or older to miss school on election days without penalty if they work as paid poll workers. It requires schools to record such absences as "excused" on attendance records and not count them toward perfect attendance. Schools must also exclude these absences from transcripts and employment forms that list attendance history. Students must provide documentation to verify their poll worker role to school administrators. The bill directly affects student poll workers and school attendance policies in New Jersey public schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) to create an "Interim Alternative ZEV Compliance Program" within one year of enactment. It directly affects vehicle manufacturers selling new cars in New Jersey by offering a flexible alternative to strict zero-emission vehicle sales quotas for model years 2027-2031. Under this program, manufacturers can comply by offering dealers a portfolio of required zero-emission vehicles based on consumer demand, without mandating specific vehicle purchases. The rules also provide manufacturers with legal protection against penalties for noncompliance with traditional sales targets during this transition period.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) to include annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) in contracts with organizations providing child, youth, and family services. The COLA would be calculated using the Consumer Price Index (CPI) from the previous year (October 1-September 30) and announced by DCF each October 1. It directly affects contracted social service organizations - including those receiving Medicaid funding - by ensuring their fixed service rates (which cover staff wages and operational costs) adjust annually for inflation. This mechanism aims to sustain funding for essential services and maintain competitive staff compensation as living costs rise. The bill takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Bill A 3961 authorizes the Department of Agriculture to regulate the sale and distribution of hemp-derived consumable products (like edibles, beverages, and inhalables) containing no more than 0.3% delta-9 THC. It directly affects hemp producers, manufacturers, distributors, and retailers by requiring product testing by independent labs, mandating child-resistant "exit packages" for retail sales, and defining strict standards for hemp-derived products. Key provisions include setting a 0.3% THC limit for products, requiring batch tracking for traceability, and clarifying that hemp products are agricultural commodities, not controlled substances. The bill aims to create a regulatory framework while distinguishing hemp products from higher-THC cannabis items.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 2125) expands New Jersey's wrongful imprisonment statute to include individuals mistakenly convicted of a crime and later civilly committed as a "sexually violent predator" under P.L.1998, c.71. It allows these claimants to sue the state for damages if they prove, by clear and convincing evidence, they did not commit the crime and did not cause their conviction through misconduct. Damages would be calculated as either twice their pre-incarceration income or $50,000 per year of imprisonment (plus $25,000 per year of post-release supervision), with possible non-monetary relief like vocational training. Claimants must file within two years of release, conviction vacating, or pardon. The bill is pending before the Assembly Judiciary Committee and has not yet become law.