Sen. Jim Holzapfel

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 68) would require all voters to show a photo ID at polling places in New Jersey. Acceptable IDs include a New Jersey driver's license, REAL ID card, DMV "identification only" card, or U.S. passport. If a voter cannot present a matching photo ID, election officials may challenge their eligibility, though the bill states this does not prevent voters from proving their right to vote through other means. The bill amends existing election law to add this requirement for in-person voting at all polling locations. (Note: The bill was introduced January 13, 2026, and is pending committee review.)

Maddy summaryS 803 creates a program for New Jersey to acquire development easements on privately-owned woodlands, permanently restricting future development to protect land for farming, forestry, and conservation. Woodlands must be at least 20 acres, used for agriculture or forestry production, and managed under approved stewardship plans to qualify. The program will use existing farmland preservation funds and coordinate with federal agencies to access additional support, such as the federal Forest Legacy Program. Landowners who sell these easements retain ownership but lose development rights, with restrictions recorded to last indefinitely.

Maddy summaryThe "Energy Security and Affordability Act" (S 1900) requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to prioritize energy security, diversity, and affordability when updating the state's Energy Master Plan. It mandates the BPU to conduct detailed economic and ratepayer impact analyses for all energy generation projects and the Master Plan itself, including cost breakdowns, infrastructure expenses, and public comment periods. These analyses must be published online for 10 years using open-source modeling tools. The bill directly affects ratepayers (utility customers) and energy developers by ensuring decisions consider financial impacts and public input before project approvals.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 145) creates a New Jersey state tax deduction for seniors (62+), blind, or disabled taxpayers. It allows up to $50,000 annually in deductions for qualified long-term care expenses (like in-home care, assisted living, or nursing facility services) paid for the taxpayer, their spouse, or disabled dependents. It also provides a separate $50,000 deduction for unreimbursed funeral expenses of a spouse or disabled dependent who was 62+ or disabled at death. The deduction applies only to unreimbursed expenses not already claimed under existing medical expense tax rules.

Maddy summaryS 2623 allows surviving spouses of retired police and fire personnel (PFRS members) who died while receiving accidental disability retirement benefits to enroll in New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) with all premiums paid by the state. It also permits these surviving spouses to continue receiving their pension benefits after remarriage - normally a reason for termination - without losing this benefit. To qualify, the surviving spouse must provide documentation proving the retired member's disability or related complications were a significant factor in their death. This applies to spouses of members who died before, on, or after the bill's effective date, and allows previously terminated pensions due to remarriage to be reinstated upon application.

Maddy summarySCR 30 proposes a constitutional amendment to limit most emergency orders, rules, or regulations issued by New Jersey's Governor to a 14-day period (ending on the 15th day after issuance), unless the Legislature approves a longer duration through a concurrent resolution. This would directly affect the Governor's emergency authority during declared states of emergency, requiring legislative review for extensions beyond 14 days. Key exceptions include orders rescinding prior emergency actions under disaster laws, federal compliance orders, executive branch-only directives, National Guard-related orders, and orders issued under other statutes with longer terms. The amendment does not change current practice for these exempted orders but would establish a fixed time limit for all other emergency measures.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires members of New Jersey's State Board of Education to attend meetings in person to be counted as present, with exceptions only during a governor-declared state of emergency. It mandates that all public meetings must be accessible both in person and virtually, with a public link provided on the Board's website for remote access. The bill also ensures that members of the public can submit comments during meetings via remote communication methods. These changes directly affect State Board members, the public attending meetings, and the Board's meeting procedures. The policy focuses on ensuring physical attendance for voting records and expanding public participation options.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 1319) expands the definition of "riot" to include groups of three or more people acting together with violent conduct, rather than the previous four-person threshold. It creates two new offenses: "mob intimidation" (threatening others to join violent groups) and "cyber-intimidation by publication" (online threats during riots), while increasing penalties for severe riot-related crimes like property damage over $5,000 or causing serious injury. The bill also adds protections for law enforcement, firefighters, and school staff by elevating assaults against them to higher offense levels. These changes apply to individuals committing or inciting riots, with the goal of strengthening responses to violent public disturbances while explicitly preserving constitutional protections for peaceful protests.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Education (DOE) to provide any school district that requests it with all underlying data and computer programs used to calculate state school aid. Specifically, it mandates the DOE to share the full dataset for all districts, including details on how adequacy budgets, equalization aid, and local share amounts are determined, plus the software algorithms used for calculations - even if the DOE considers the software proprietary. The DOE must also provide a district-by-district breakdown showing that total local funding plus state aid equals the statewide total of all adequacy budgets, as required by existing school funding laws. This applies to all school districts seeking transparency in how their state aid is calculated under current funding formulas.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey public school districts to post detailed curriculum plans online for each grade level and course at least 30 days before the school year starts. It mandates that districts include units of study, learning objectives, and specific textbook/material information on their websites, with updates whenever plans change. Parents and legal guardians must be given the opportunity to review all instructional materials before they are used in classrooms. The law aims to increase transparency by making curriculum details and materials accessible to families ahead of instruction.