Asm. Mike Torrissi

Maddy summaryThe "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act" (S 3309) requires used car dealers to check for open recalls on vehicles before sale using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website and provide prospective buyers with printed recall information if any are found. Dealers cannot sell vehicles subject to stop-sale or do-not-drive notices issued by NHTSA. The bill mandates dealers to report vehicles with unresolved recalls (for which repairs remain uncompleted six months after initial notice) to the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission every 180 days, prompting the Commission to send notices directly to vehicle owners. For vehicles with unavailable parts for recalls, dealers receive monthly compensation equal to 1.75% of the vehicle's value until repairs are completed.

Maddy summaryThis is a procedural resolution (not a bill) establishing a special committee. It creates the "Assembly Special Committee on Staten Island Annexation" with 12 members (6 appointed by the Assembly Speaker, 6 by the Minority Leader). The committee's sole purpose is to investigate New Jersey's historical, legal, and geographic claims to Staten Island - including colonial land grants, the 1834 boundary compact, and relevant case law - and to report on lawful avenues for annexation, subject to consent from Staten Island residents, New York State, and Congress. The committee must publish a final report after completing its work.

Maddy summaryThe Vehicle Choice Protection Act (A5943) prohibits New Jersey state agencies from adopting rules, regulations, or policies that restrict or ban the sale, registration, or use of new gasoline or diesel-powered vehicles. It directly affects state departments like the Motor Vehicle Commission or environmental agencies that might propose such restrictions. The bill's key provision bans any state agency from creating rules with the purpose or effect of limiting internal combustion engine vehicles. The law takes immediate effect upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThe Affordable Home Energy Protection Act (A5944) prohibits New Jersey state agencies and local governments from adopting rules that restrict the installation, use, or require removal of natural gas, propane, or fuel oil-powered appliances and heating systems in homes and businesses. It directly affects residents, landlords, and commercial property owners who might otherwise face mandates to replace existing fossil-fuel systems with electric alternatives. The bill blocks local bans or restrictions on these systems but allows voluntary switches to electric options, incentives for efficiency, and emergency safety orders for unsafe appliances. It aims to prevent government-imposed energy mandates that could increase costs, particularly for low- and moderate-income households in older properties.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A3558 bill establishes the state's official definition of antisemitism using the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) standard, including specific examples of antisemitic conduct. State agencies and institutions must use this definition when reviewing, investigating, or deciding on cases involving discriminatory acts motivated by antisemitism. The bill appropriates $100,000 for a public awareness campaign by the Attorney General's office to educate residents on identifying and reporting bias crimes through community outreach and the existing bias crimes hotline. This campaign aims to improve reporting of antisemitic incidents without affecting First Amendment rights or conflicting with existing anti-discrimination laws.

Maddy summaryThis bill reorganizes New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program governance by expanding the State Health Benefits Commission to 11 members and eliminating the previous Plan Design Committee. It requires the program to offer exactly five health plans for employees and non-Medicare-eligible retirees, including a new "NJ Gold" plan that doesn't require salary-based employee contributions. The bill establishes an escalator system to adjust employee contribution rates based on premium cost trends, increasing rates if premiums rise significantly above inflation and decreasing them if premiums fall. Additionally, it mandates that local government employers must decide within one year whether to join the SHBP, with a two-year commitment if they choose to participate.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3052) expands academic flexibility for New Jersey public college students who are active-duty service members or their dependents (spouses/children) unable to finish a course due to unplanned military obligations like deployment. It changes the attendance threshold from 8 weeks to 55% of a course’s duration to qualify for grade options, adding temporary grades and online course transfers as choices. Students who complete 55% of a course can select a letter grade, pass/fail, incomplete, withdrawal, or online transfer (with approval), while those under 55% can choose incomplete or withdrawal. It also clarifies that pass/fail grades can later be converted to letter grades within a year by completing missed work, and ensures full tuition refunds for withdrawals. The law applies to all public institutions of higher education in New Jersey and takes effect immediately for the next academic year.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A4878) ensures service members and their dependents (spouses or children) enrolled at New Jersey public colleges can choose specific grade options if unexpected military duty prevents course completion. It raises the required course completion threshold from 8 weeks to 55% of the course duration before certain options apply, and adds "temporary grade" and "transfer to equivalent online course" (if available) as choices. Dependents are now explicitly included under the same protections previously only for service members themselves. The bill clarifies that faculty must determine if sufficient work was completed to justify grades like pass/fail or letter grades, with options like incomplete grades remaining valid for one year.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Motor Vehicle Open Recall Notice and Fair Compensation Act" to improve transparency around vehicle recalls and provide fair compensation for dealers. It requires motor vehicle dealers to check for open recalls on used vehicles using the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration website before sale, inform prospective buyers about any recalls found, and not sell vehicles subject to stop-sale or do-not-drive notices. Dealers must also provide the New Jersey Motor Vehicle Commission with lists of vehicles with long-unfixed recalls (six months or more), triggering the Commission to send official notices to vehicle owners. The bill also establishes compensation requirements for dealers when parts are unavailable for recalled vehicles, requiring 1.75 percent of the vehicle's value per month for used vehicles or the manufacturer's suggested retail price for new vehicles.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts nonprofit historic museums with 501(c)(3) tax status (or government entities) from being regulated as amusement parks when operating educational steam locomotive programs. To qualify, these programs must use properly trained staff following railroad safety standards, maintain equipment including state boiler inspections, and not charge admission for rides or sell timed tickets. The exemption specifically covers replica railroads focused on historical education, not public transportation or commercial rides. This allows museums to operate these educational exhibits without unnecessary amusement park regulatory burdens.