Asm. Lou Greenwald

Maddy summaryThis bill updates the governance and operations of the New Jersey Civic Information Consortium, a partnership among six state universities (including Rutgers and Rowan). It revises the board of directors to have 16 members with specific appointments to ensure political balance and diversity (e.g., two Governor appointments, one from each legislative leader, and representatives from media/tech sectors). The bill removes requirements for hiring program staff, updates grant rules to require university-community partnerships and a 10% funding match from universities, and allows unspent funds to carry over for multi-year grants. Grant projects must now align with six goals, including improving civic information access, enhancing government data tools, training media professionals, and serving underserved communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey taxpayers to voluntarily contribute a portion of their state income tax refund or make an additional payment when filing their returns to support public humanities programs. The contributions would go into a special fund managed by the Department of the Treasury, with administrative costs deducted before funds are deposited. The Legislature must annually appropriate these funds to the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, which will distribute grants to individuals and organizations for humanities programming across the state. It directly affects taxpayers who choose to participate and benefits humanities groups receiving grant funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals a 1% tax on purchasers of controlling ownership stakes in Class 4A commercial properties when the transfer value exceeds $1 million. It directly affects buyers of large-scale commercial real estate (such as office buildings or retail spaces, excluding residential, farm, industrial, or vacant land) in transactions over $1 million. The key change removes the "controlling interest transfer tax" (CITT) for these specific high-value transactions, reducing the cost for such purchases. The repeal takes effect after a two-month delay following enactment, applying to transfers occurring on or after that date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the New Jersey State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) to provide public employers (non-State entities participating in SHBP) with detailed claims data upon written request. It mandates inclusion of 26 specific data points, including prescription utilization reports (top 50 drugs by volume/cost), medical claims summaries by diagnosis, and provider information, while maintaining HIPAA-compliant privacy safeguards. Public employers may request this data once per calendar year (reducing the prior 24-month limit), and employee majority representatives can also access it within 15 days of a public employer’s request. The bill directly affects public employers and their employees by increasing transparency into health plan spending and utilization patterns.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's Municipal Land Use Law to clarify the two-step approval process for site plans and subdivisions. It limits preliminary approval reviews to layout and zoning compliance (not detailed engineering plans), requiring developers to submit only essential information for initial review. The bill extends the vesting period for preliminary approvals from 3 to 5 years (except for cases where site infrastructure is built before final approval), shortens the review timeline for larger projects from 95 to 75 days, and allows developers to submit preliminary and final approval applications simultaneously. These changes aim to reduce costs for developers by delaying detailed engineering requirements until the final approval stage while maintaining zoning compliance and public input opportunities.

Maddy summaryACR 87 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit annual property tax increases for primary residences (homestead property) in New Jersey. If approved by voters, it would require the Legislature to pass a law capping annual assessment increases at the lower of 3% or the Consumer Price Index (CPI) change. This limit would apply to homes used as owners' principal residences, including properties held via life estates, 99-year leases, or as the residential portion of mixed-use properties. The cap would reset to current market value upon a change of ownership, with reassessment occurring annually after the initial valuation. The amendment does not change current tax rates but restricts how much a home's assessed value can rise each year.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2766) prohibits South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) employees, officers, and members from using toll-free passage on expressways like the Atlantic City Expressway for personal trips. It amends existing law to require that free toll passage is only permitted during commuting to/from work or while performing official SJTA duties. The change ends current practice allowing SJTA staff free toll access for all purposes, restricting it strictly to work-related travel or commuting.

Maddy summaryThis bill revises New Jersey's requirements for individual and small employer health benefits plans, bringing state law into compliance with the Affordable Care Act. It limits the maximum premium rate differential for individual health plans to 300% (from 350% under current law) and requires age-based rating to use one-year increments instead of five-year increments. For small employer plans, it removes gender as a permissible rating factor, eliminates separate rating treatment for purchasing alliances, and requires one-year age increments. The bill also increases the maximum assessment for small employer members of multiple employer welfare arrangements from 200% to 300% of the lowest rated member's assessment and clarifies that these arrangements must provide hospital and medical benefits including pediatric services (oral/vision care) and maternity benefits as required by federal law.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey law enforcement agencies to prohibit recreational cannabis use by their officers and take disciplinary actions (including termination or refusal to hire) based on such use. It directly affects all law enforcement officers as defined by the bill - including full-time, part-time, special officers, constables, auxiliary police, and humane law enforcement officers. Key provisions include permitting random drug testing using Attorney General-approved methods, allowing adverse employment actions solely due to cannabinoid metabolites from permitted recreational use, and enabling agencies to refuse hiring based on cannabis use during pre-employment screening. The bill specifically exempts law enforcement from the general workplace protections that otherwise prohibit employers from penalizing off-duty recreational cannabis use.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new "restricted distillery license" that would allow distilleries to operate in conjunction with restaurants in designated "Garden State Growth Zones" - specifically Atlantic City, Camden, Passaic, Paterson, and Trenton. The license would permit distilleries to produce up to 20,000 gallons of distilled alcoholic beverages annually, but only if the distillery is immediately adjoining a restaurant that holds a plenary retail consumption license and is regularly used for serving meals with adequate kitchen and dining facilities. Distilleries with this license would be allowed to sell their products to the restaurant and to wholesalers, but not to ship directly to consumers. The bill limits the number of such licenses to 10 per entity holding a plenary retail consumption license.