Asm. Lou Greenwald

Maddy summaryThe New Jersey Safe Storage of Firearms Act requires legal firearm owners to store unloaded firearms in a locked container with ammunition stored separately when not in use, applying to most owners except active law enforcement officers (when minors are present), temporary transfers, and firearms on display for sale. Retail dealers must provide written warnings and post signs about safe storage requirements to customers. The bill appropriates $500,000 for a public awareness campaign about safe storage risks and requires the Attorney General to collect data on implementation and submit annual reports to the Legislature. This replaces previous laws specifically addressing minors' access to firearms with broader safe storage requirements for all firearm owners.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to establish a program that encourages gas utilities to adopt renewable natural gas (RNG) and invest in related infrastructure. It provides gas utilities with a mechanism to recover costs for qualifying investments and RNG procurement from customers through regulated rate adjustments, subject to BPU approval. Utilities must purchase RNG at market rates, and the BPU will set customer charges based on actual costs, including RNG supply, commodity, and administrative expenses. The program aims to support greenhouse gas reduction efforts while ensuring ratepayer protections through BPU oversight.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey state and county correctional facilities to offer hepatitis B and C blood testing to all inmates upon the start of their sentence. Inmates would not be required to participate in the testing. The law applies to all facilities housing incarcerated individuals, with testing provided at the beginning of confinement. It does not mandate testing but ensures facilities proactively offer the service.

Maddy summaryACR 90 is a proposed constitutional amendment that would establish a right to comprehensive, affordable, and accessible health care for all New Jersey residents. It requires the state legislature to pass laws ensuring this right, regardless of a person's age, sex, race, pre-existing health condition, income, or ability to pay. The amendment must be approved by voters in the next general election following its passage by the legislature. If adopted, it would amend the New Jersey Constitution to explicitly guarantee health care as a fundamental right.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes New Jersey's firearms regulations by requiring that firearms purchaser identification cards be valid for four years (expiring on the holder's birthday in the fourth year after issuance), rather than indefinitely as under current law. It also requires applicants to complete a firearms safety training course approved by the State Police within four years prior to application (with exemptions for law enforcement and veterans). Additionally, the bill revises inheritance procedures for firearms, requiring heirs or legatees to possess a valid firearms purchaser identification card or permit to purchase a handgun before taking possession of inherited firearms, with specific procedures for transferring firearms to law enforcement if the heir doesn't qualify for a permit.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new "limited religious retail distribution license" specifically for food stores selling religiously certified alcoholic beverages. The license allows businesses like grocery stores or delicatessens to sell unchilled alcoholic beverages certified as kosher, kosher for Passover, or prepared under Orthodox Jewish or other religious requirements, but only in original containers for off-premises consumption. To qualify, the business must primarily sell food, maintain religious supervision (such as rabbinical oversight), and file a disclosure with the Division of Consumer Affairs. Municipalities would set the license fee between $31 and $63. This policy change creates a specific licensing pathway for religiously certified alcohol sales while requiring food sales to remain the primary business activity.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's Assembly Bill A1626 permits government offices to redact specific personal information from public records before releasing them. It allows custodians to remove home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, medical details, financial data, and other personal information when disclosure would violate privacy expectations or risk harassment, identity theft, or crime. This applies to all public records requests under New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA), protecting citizens whose personal data appears in government files. The bill codifies privacy protections established in the Burnett v. County of Bergen court case, ensuring sensitive information isn't exposed to public view.

Maddy summaryThe Food Desert Elimination Act provides tax incentives to supermarkets and grocery stores that open their first location in designated food desert communities across New Jersey. It offers a tax credit equal to the property taxes paid by the store for the first four years (initial opening plus three subsequent years) to businesses establishing the first supermarket or grocery store in a designated food desert area. The bill also creates a special permit allowing these stores to sell alcohol for off-premises consumption, with different rules than standard liquor licenses. The New Jersey Economic Development Authority will designate up to 75 food desert communities based on criteria including poverty rates and access to healthy food. This program aims to increase access to fresh produce and nutritious food for residents in underserved communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a competitive grant program to fund organizations recruiting teachers for underserved school districts in New Jersey. It appropriates $6 million from the state budget to match private contributions raised by eligible organizations (up to $1 million per organization annually for three years), with grants awarded to at least two organizations. To qualify, organizations must be tax-exempt and place teachers in districts where at least 40% of students are eligible for free/reduced-price meals and face teacher shortages. The Commissioner of Education will select grantees based on program quality, potential to improve student outcomes, and strategies for long-term teacher retention.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A2819 prohibits creating or sharing deceptive audio or visual media ("deepfakes") that falsely depict someone's speech or conduct using technical means, targeting individuals who generate or distribute such media for unlawful purposes. Creating deepfakes for offenses like harassment, theft by deception, or invasion of privacy would be a fourth-degree crime (up to 18 months jail or $10,000 fine), while sharing unmarked deepfakes knowing they violate the law would be a third-degree crime (up to 5 years jail or $30,000 fine). Victims could sue for $1,000 per violation plus damages, attorney fees, and other remedies, with the civil action separate from criminal penalties. News media are exempt unless they knowingly share unmarked deceptive content created in violation of the bill.