Asm. Greg Myhre

Maddy summaryThis bill (A410) requires New Jersey public school districts to provide vouchers to parents who withdraw their child from public school due to objections about curriculum materials or activities they deem "harmful." The voucher covers 75% of the nonpublic school's tuition and fees, calculated based on the district's per-pupil spending and prorated for remaining school days. It specifically defines "harmful" objections to include conflicts with parental beliefs about sex, sexuality, gender identity, religion, or morality. The bill applies to parents of students enrolled in public schools who choose to enroll in nonpublic schools for these reasons.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a permit program allowing New Jersey dairy farms to sell raw milk directly to consumers at the farm, subject to strict health and safety requirements. To obtain a permit, farmers must comply with dairy laws, undergo inspections, avoid growth hormones, and conduct regular bacterial testing to ensure milk meets limits for bacteria (10,000 colonies/mL), coliform (10/mL), and somatic cells (300,000/mL). All raw milk containers and farm signage must display a clear warning that raw milk is unpasteurized and may contain harmful organisms. The Department of Agriculture, with input from the Department of Health, will set permit fees to cover program costs and enforce testing, labeling, and cooling standards (milk must cool to 40°F within 2 hours of milking). Failure to meet testing standards twice in one year results in permit revocation.

Maddy summaryThis Assembly Resolution (AR 57) urges New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection and the federal Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to impose an immediate moratorium on sonar testing and wind turbine mapping activities off the New Jersey coast. It is prompted by the unexplained deaths of at least 12 whales (including 8 humpbacks) and 5 dolphins recorded near offshore wind development areas since December 2022. The resolution calls for pausing these activities to allow for scientific study of potential links between sonar/mapping technologies and the marine life deaths. As a resolution, it does not create law but formally requests federal and state agencies to halt related operations pending investigation.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an annual $15,000 death benefit for the families of New Jersey forest firefighters who die while performing volunteer duties in the line of duty. It directly affects hourly-paid forest firefighters employed by the Department of Environmental Protection, excluding deaths resulting from willful negligence. Payments go first to surviving spouses, then to children (or divided among them), then to parents, or to other designated beneficiaries. The benefit requires a death report filed within 30 days (with possible waiver) and is funded from the State General Fund.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Clean Energy Program (NJCEP) to make existing energy efficiency incentives available to commercial farms, which were previously excluded from the program's categories. It mandates the state energy agency to establish a program helping farm owners conduct energy audits to identify energy-saving opportunities and publish all relevant incentives online. Currently, farmhouses qualified under residential NJCEP categories, but commercial farm operations (like equipment and buildings) had no dedicated access to these incentives. The change directly affects commercial farm owners by enabling them to apply for and receive state-funded energy efficiency support.

Maddy summaryThis bill (A2517) prohibits New Jersey state agencies and local governments from entering into or renewing public service contracts with contractors who knowingly employ or contract with unauthorized workers. It requires all such contractors to verify employee work authorization using the federal E-Verify program and certify that subcontractors also comply. Contractors must report violations to the state agency within three days and may terminate non-compliant subcontractors after a notice period, unless the subcontractor provides proof of compliance. Contractors found violating these rules are listed publicly by the Department of Labor for two years, unless cleared by court. The law applies specifically to contracts for labor or services, not goods or products.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's workers' compensation and temporary disability laws to exclude undocumented workers from receiving benefits. It specifies that only individuals lawfully admitted for permanent residence, lawfully present for employment, or permanently residing in the U.S. under legal authority (including certain visa holders) qualify for coverage. The law removes eligibility for undocumented workers who do not meet these specific immigration status criteria at the time of injury or disability. This change aligns the state's benefit programs with federal immigration status requirements, responding to a prior court ruling that had allowed undocumented workers to access temporary disability benefits.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's A1718 bill modifies Megan's Law to require county prosecutors to assess a sex offender's risk of re-offending *before* the offender is released from prison, rather than after release as is currently common. This change removes the factor of the offender's residence (previously used in risk assessments) to enable timely pre-release evaluations. Prosecutors must consider specific factors like criminal history, response to treatment, and recent behavior to determine the offender's risk level, which dictates community notification requirements (low, moderate, or high). The assessment must be completed prior to release, with the prosecutor of the offender's intended residence county determining notification methods. This policy directly affects sex offenders nearing release from incarceration in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryACR 58 proposes a constitutional amendment to increase New Jersey's veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years. It would raise the annual deduction to $1,000 in 2024, $1,500 in 2025, $2,000 in 2026, and $2,500 starting in 2027, with the amount remaining at $2,500 annually thereafter. This change directly affects honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses, who qualify for the deduction on real and personal property taxes. The amendment requires voter approval after legislative passage to take effect.

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.