Maddy summaryS 1057 creates an Office of Financial Assistance within New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to help businesses and non-profit organizations access public financial assistance like grants, loans, and tax credits from state or federal agencies. The office will develop a common online application platform allowing these entities to identify available assistance, store application information for reuse, submit multiple applications simultaneously, and track their status. All state agencies offering such assistance must coordinate with the office to ensure applications can be submitted through this platform and that all information remains current. The bill requires the EDA to appoint a director with relevant experience and mandates the office to provide technical assistance on application processes and compliance.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1278) requires New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) and School Employees' Health Benefits Program (SEHBP) to provide public employers (like municipalities or school districts) with detailed health plan data upon request. It changes the frequency from "once every 24 months" to "once per calendar year" and allows employee representatives to access the data if the employer requests it. The data must include specific medical and prescription information, such as top prescribed drugs by volume and cost, utilization reports, and aggregated claims summaries, while strictly complying with HIPAA privacy rules to protect individual identities. This directly affects public employers participating in SHBP/SEHBP and their employees through transparency about health plan costs and usage.
Maddy summaryS 164 requires health insurance plans in New Jersey to cover medically necessary hearing aids (for each ear) and cochlear implants for insured individuals under age 21. It applies to hospital service, medical service, health service corporation contracts, and individual health insurance policies. Insurers must cover the full cost of cochlear implant procedures and devices, while limiting hearing aid coverage to $1,000 per hearing aid per ear every 24 months - allowing patients to pay the difference for more expensive devices without penalty. This bill directly affects families of children and young adults needing hearing devices, ensuring insurance coverage for essential hearing healthcare under 21.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a program to provide supplemental pay to New Jersey first responders (including police, firefighters, and EMTs) who became ill with COVID-19 while working. It supplements existing workers' compensation benefits to ensure eligible responders receive up to 100% of their weekly wages (capped at $1,800), covering the period they were unable to work due to work-related COVID-19 illness, for a maximum of 180 weeks. Benefits are funded from the Second Injury Fund and require claims filed within two years after the end of the state's public health emergency. The program does not reduce existing workers' compensation rights and includes reporting requirements for the Division of Workers' Compensation.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey law enforcement agencies - including state, county, municipal departments, and campus police at colleges - to provide officers with mandatory cultural diversity training every five years using state-developed materials. It also mandates that agencies create and submit a "cultural diversity action plan" to the Attorney General, outlining strategies for community outreach, partnerships with cultural/religious groups (including those combating discrimination based on gender identity or sexual orientation), and building collaborative relationships to address neighborhood safety concerns. Agencies must submit these plans within one year of the bill's effective date and every three years thereafter, with the Attorney General authorized to assess compliance. The law directly affects every law enforcement agency in New Jersey that employs officers, focusing on improving community-police relations through structured training and partnership-building.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires annual cost-of-living adjustments for contracts between New Jersey's Department of Children and Families (DCF) and social service organizations providing child and family services. It mandates that contract payments increase each October 1 based on the previous year's Consumer Price Index (CPI), as reported by the U.S. Department of Labor. The adjustment applies to organizations delivering services through DCF contracts, including those partially or fully funded by state Medicaid. This change aims to ensure these organizations can maintain staff compensation as living costs rise, without altering existing service delivery structures.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires developers of new or reconstructed multi-unit buildings (5+ dwelling units) and certain parking lots/garages to install EV-ready parking spaces. Specifically, for buildings, developers must create 15% Make-Ready parking spaces (with EV charging equipment in 1/3 immediately, another 1/3 within 3 years, and the final 1/3 by 6 years), ensuring at least 5% are accessible for people with disabilities. Parking lots with 50+ spaces must install tiered Make-Ready spaces (e.g., 4 spaces for 101-150 spots, 4% for over 150), with 5% accessible. Exceptions apply to low-income housing developments and single-family homes. The bill was introduced but withdrawn on January 9, 2024.
Maddy summaryS 211 requires New Jersey's Division of Rate Counsel to consider environmental impacts when representing the public interest in utility rate and service proceedings. Specifically, it mandates that the Rate Counsel evaluate proposals based on their effects on climate change (including social cost of carbon), alignment with the state's decarbonization goals, and impacts on overburdened communities facing environmental health stressors. This applies to cases involving rate changes, service discontinuations, or utility charges, alongside traditional affordability and equity considerations. The bill directly affects how utility rate cases are reviewed by the state's consumer advocate office.
Maddy summaryS 1027 creates a New Jersey Economic Development Authority (EDA) program providing low-interest loans to eligible small businesses for energy audits and efficiency improvements. The bill covers 100% of costs for energy audits (conducted by licensed contractors) and installing efficiency equipment at the business's buildings, with loans capped at 10 years and interest rates not exceeding 3% or half the prime rate. Eligible businesses must be independently owned, operate primarily in New Jersey, and meet additional criteria set by the EDA. This program directly supports small businesses seeking to reduce energy costs and improve building efficiency through accessible financing.
Maddy summaryThis bill raises the annual income limit for New Jersey seniors (65+) and disabled residents to qualify for a $250 property tax deduction from $10,000 to $20,000 starting in 2023. For future years, the income limit will automatically adjust based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for the New York-NJ area, rounded to the nearest $100, to keep pace with cost-of-living changes. It directly affects eligible homeowners and tenant-shareholders in cooperative housing who meet the new income threshold. The bill takes effect immediately but requires voter approval of a constitutional amendment before the new limits can be implemented.