Sen. Linda Greenstein

Maddy summaryThis bill requires electric utilities in New Jersey to obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity from the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) before starting new transmission lines or modifying existing ones. It directly affects electric public utilities that transmit electricity within the state, excluding projects already approved by PJM Interconnection. Utilities must submit applications with required information and pay a fee, and the BPU must review them within 150 days (extendable by 75 days) to ensure projects are necessary, cost-effective, and financially feasible for customers. The BPU will then issue an order authorizing construction and setting completion timelines.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 2636) provides full accidental disability benefits to police officers who permanently and totally disabled from contracting COVID-19 between June 5, 2021, and January 31, 2022. To qualify, officers must have contracted the virus while working outside their home and be permanently disabled as a direct result. The bill retroactively applies to the specified dates and ensures these benefits do not reduce other legally available worker protections. It specifically targets police officers, not all public safety workers, under strict eligibility conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to reimburse volunteer firefighters for cancer screenings not covered by their insurance. It mandates coverage for 11 specific cancer types (including colon, lung, breast, and prostate) starting five years after beginning service, then every three years thereafter. The state will cover up to $1,250 per three-year period (adjusted for inflation), with no out-of-pocket costs for firefighters. Volunteer firefighting status is treated as a pre-existing condition for coverage, and annual state funding must be appropriated to support reimbursements.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year Skilled Trades Career Exploration Pilot Program for high school students in New Jersey, appropriating $5 million from the General Fund. It provides grants to school districts to develop or expand career and technical education programs, acquire equipment/facilities, and train instructors. Five school districts per region (southern, central, northern) will be selected to participate, with all grantees required to submit annual impact reports. The program aims to strengthen vocational pathways for high school students through targeted school district support.

Maddy summaryS 457 expands New Jersey's "Nosey's Law" (P.L.2018, c.141) by banning rabbits, hares, and rodents from traveling animal acts like circuses and carnivals. It removes previous exemptions for domestic animals such as cows, horses, and dogs, adding these species to the prohibited list. The bill limits existing exceptions to apply only to educational institutions - outreach programs at schools can still use animals for bona fide education, but not for general entertainment. This change takes effect immediately upon passage.

Maddy summaryThis bill would replace current voting systems with ranked-choice voting for New Jersey's state and federal elections. It directly affects voters in races for Governor, State Senate, General Assembly, U.S. Senate, U.S. House, and presidential primaries/elections, requiring them to rank candidates in order of preference. The process counts votes in rounds: if no candidate reaches 50%+1 (for governor/senate/US House) or 33%+1 (for Assembly) in the first count, the candidate with the fewest votes is eliminated each round until one meets the threshold. Ballots are redistributed based on voters' ranked choices until a winner achieves the required majority.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 543, "School Bus Safety and Child Protection Act") requires nonpublic schools and charter schools receiving state/federal funds to conduct criminal background checks every four years for school bus drivers, aides, and other staff with regular student contact. It also prohibits tampering with school bus monitoring devices, making it a crime to disable cameras or recording equipment. The law applies specifically to positions involving student interaction, such as bus drivers, security, and maintenance staff in eligible schools. Schools must verify candidates have no disqualifying criminal history per public school standards before hiring and annually notify the state if charges arise against employees.

Maddy summaryS 258 requires landlords of public housing for seniors to waive late fees for tenants who are hospitalized or admitted to a health care facility. It mandates that landlords accept written proof of hospitalization to eliminate late charges during the stay and for five business days after discharge. Tenants remain responsible for rent due before lease termination, and the grace period doesn’t apply if they’re immediately admitted to another facility without returning home. Violations carry fines up to $500, enforced by the Attorney General. This bill directly affects seniors aged 62+ (or surviving spouses 55+) in subsidized senior housing.

Maddy summaryS 352, the "Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Prevention Act," requires manufacturers and sellers of Internet-connected devices (like tablets or smart TVs) to include digital blocking technology that automatically restricts access to obscene material, child pornography, revenge pornography, and websites linked to human trafficking or prostitution. For devices sold to minors, the blocking must be active by default; adults can deactivate it by paying a $20 fee, and companies may pay a $20 opt-out fee per device instead. Companies must also establish a reporting system for users to flag wrongly blocked or unblocked content and fix such issues within five business days. Fees collected from consumers or companies will fund the state’s Commission on Human Trafficking, with violations punishable by fines up to $20,000 per offense.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all state agencies and political subdivisions (including counties, municipalities, school districts, and local government entities) to make a good faith effort to purchase 5% of their goods and services from the Central Nonprofit Agency (CNA), which sources products from approved rehabilitation facilities. The CNA is granted the right of first refusal for these purchases, meaning state entities must consider the CNA before other vendors. Additionally, the bill mandates that the Division of Purchase and Property establish mandatory training protocols for purchasing agents, requiring new hires to complete training and renewing it every two years. The bill also requires regular reporting to track compliance with the 5% procurement goal and training requirements.