Asm. Lou Greenwald

Maddy summaryThis bill (A 3588) revises definitions used in New Jersey's Aspire Program, which provides economic development incentives. It updates terms like "Agency," "Authority," "Commercial project," "Distressed municipality," and "Enhanced area" to clarify program eligibility and administration. The bill does not change program rules or create new policies - it only refines terminology for consistency. As a definitional amendment, it directly affects how the program's rules are interpreted by developers, the New Jersey Economic Development Authority, and local governments. The bill was introduced on January 13, 2026, and referred to the Assembly Commerce Committee.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill increases the annual income limit for seniors (65+) and disabled residents to qualify for a $250 property tax deduction. It raises the limit from $10,000 to $20,000 for 2014 and onward, with future limits automatically adjusted each year based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) to account for inflation. The deduction amount itself remains fixed at $250 annually, and the bill requires voter approval of a constitutional amendment before taking effect. This change directly affects eligible homeowners aged 65+ or disabled residents with incomes up to the new adjusted limit.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a pilot program in New Jersey's Department of Human Services to connect emergency department patients with behavioral health needs - such as mild mental health issues, emotional disturbances, or substance use disorders that don't require inpatient care - to coordinated community treatment. Participating hospitals (two per Regional Health Hub) must refer these patients to available services, while Regional Health Hubs will support hospitals in developing protocols for timely referrals, follow-up, transportation, and appointment scheduling. The program requires Medicaid and NJ FamilyCare to cover these services, with the state seeking federal funding to support implementation. It directly affects emergency patients with non-emergency behavioral health needs and hospitals participating in the pilot.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A 3600 prohibits using false identities or digital impersonation (including "deepfakes") to influence elections, making it a crime to impersonate someone or spread misleading election-related content for the purpose of aiding a candidate's nomination, election, defeat, or ballot question outcome. It upgrades such election-related identity theft to a third-degree crime (3-5 years in prison, up to $15,000 fine), or a second-degree crime (5-10 years, up to $150,000 fine) if committed within 90 days of an election. The bill also elevates the crime of knowingly spreading false campaign ads that conceal their true source from a disorderly persons offense to a third-degree crime. This directly affects individuals or groups attempting to manipulate elections through deceptive digital means or false advertising.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's professional licensing boards (e.g., for nursing, engineering, and other regulated occupations) to collect national average application approval times from other states and calculate a standard for their own processing timelines. Boards must use this national average as their target for approving initial credentials, after approval by the Division of Consumer Affairs. If boards miss the target, they must use licensing fees to hire third-party experts to identify improvements, with follow-up reviews after six months. The law mandates initial data collection within six months of enactment, followed by annual accuracy reviews to ensure boards meet the standardized timelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides an additional $1.5 million in state funding to New Jersey's Election Law Enforcement Commission (ELEC) for staffing and enforcement activities. The funds specifically support the Commission's work enforcing the state's campaign finance laws, including the Campaign Contributions and Expenditures Reporting Act (C.19:44A-1 et seq.). The appropriation directly increases ELEC's budget to maintain sufficient staff for monitoring campaign disclosures and investigating violations. This is a funding measure, not a policy change, aimed at strengthening the Commission's operational capacity.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey's Government Records Council to use annual state appropriations to hire staff attorneys whose sole role is handling public record access complaints. It directly affects the Council (which resolves disputes over denied government records), people filing complaints about denied access, and government agencies (records custodians) responding to such complaints. The key provision amends existing law to require the Council to employ dedicated staff attorneys exclusively for reviewing and resolving complaints, rather than using general staff. This creates a specific, funded mechanism for the Council to process complaints about government agencies denying public records access.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) to provide public employers (like municipalities and school districts) with detailed health claims data upon request, limiting access to once per calendar year instead of once every 24 months. It mandates specific data including medical claims summaries, top prescription drugs by cost/quantity, utilization trends, and prescription details (e.g., drug types, costs, pharmacy types), while ensuring privacy compliance under HIPAA. The data must be shared with the public employer’s majority employee representatives if the employer requests it. This directly affects public employers participating in SHBP and their employees, enabling transparency about health benefit costs and usage patterns.

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $3.6 million to increase Medicaid reimbursement rates for adult medical day care providers in New Jersey. It raises the per diem rate from $89.55 to $93.10 per patient per day, directly affecting community-based medical day care centers that serve vulnerable adults with physical or cognitive impairments. The funding is conditional on providers receiving this updated rate, stabilizing their finances after pandemic-related income losses. This change ensures providers can continue offering essential in-community care without closing, as mandated by the bill's amendment to the 2024 appropriations act.