Maddy summaryThis bill, titled the "End Data Center Tax Credits Act," aims to restructure how New Jersey distributes tax credits for economic development and energy projects. It establishes a new nine-year spending cap of $11.5 billion for various incentive programs, which limits the total amount of money available annually for initiatives like historic preservation, brownfields redevelopment, and manufacturing. To support energy goals, the legislation authorizes the Board of Public Utilities to issue tax credits specifically for energy storage projects and creates a temporary income tax credit for certain residential utility customers. Additionally, it sets specific annual and total dollar limits for existing programs such as the Next New Jersey Program and the Innovation Evergreen Act, while reserving $2.5 billion for transformative projects under the Aspire Program.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 3379) requires data center owners and operators to submit semi-annual reports to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU) detailing water and energy usage. Existing data centers must begin reporting within three months of the law's enactment, while newer centers have six months. Reports must include basic facility information, usage data, and for centers receiving state funding, specific efficiency metrics like power usage effectiveness. The BPU will publish anonymized, aggregated data online but keep individual reports confidential.
Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill prohibits the sale, manufacture, and distribution of apparel containing intentionally added PFAS (perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances) starting two years after it takes effect. It defines "apparel" broadly to include most clothing for regular wear - such as athletic wear, swimwear, school uniforms, and work uniforms - but excludes personal protective equipment, military clothing, and motorcycle safety gear. Violations would be treated as consumer fraud under state law, resulting in fines up to $20,000 per offense and potential additional penalties like cease-and-desist orders. The law directly affects retailers, manufacturers, and distributors of apparel within New Jersey that use PFAS in their products.
Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 2260 strengthens legal protections for patients and providers accessing or delivering reproductive and gender-affirming health care services within the state. The bill explicitly defines "legally protected health care activities" to include seeking, providing, or assisting with these services (such as abortion, contraception, or gender-affirming care), regardless of a patient's location. It prohibits obstruction, intimidation, or physical barriers at facilities offering these services and grants licensing boards authority to impose civil penalties for violations. This directly affects patients traveling to New Jersey for care (not available in their home states) and healthcare providers operating in these fields. The law codifies existing protections to prevent harassment or violence against these services, following increased threats and protests nationwide after the overturning of Roe v. Wade.
Maddy summaryS 3412 would require certain social media platforms in New Jersey to display a black box warning about mental health risks to users, similar to health warnings on tobacco products. The bill targets platforms primarily designed for social connection (like Facebook or TikTok) that have users in New Jersey, excluding services focused on news, entertainment, or e-commerce. This requirement is based on findings that youth social media use exceeding three hours daily doubles risks of depression and anxiety, and platforms are aware of these harms. The warning must be displayed on platforms meeting the bill's definition of "covered social media platforms," affecting all users of those services in the state.
Maddy summaryNew Jersey Assembly Bill 4015, the "New Jersey Kids Code Act," requires major online services (like social media and games) that minors are likely to use to set default privacy settings to the highest protection level for children. It prohibits these services from showing targeted ads to minors, using manipulative design tricks to change privacy settings, collecting certain personal data without clear consent, or promoting restricted products to children. The bill also mandates annual public reports detailing how these platforms protect minors’ privacy, their data practices, safety tools for parents, and how much time children spend on their services. This law directly affects large online platforms operating in New Jersey, not small websites or services not used by minors.
Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a Social Media Research Center at a New Jersey four-year public university selected by the Higher Education Secretary. The center will conduct research on social media's effects on youth mental health, develop online safety resources for public schools, and provide recommendations to state agencies. It will also administer grants for social media research using a peer-reviewed process modeled after the NIH, and require annual reports on its work. The bill directly affects New Jersey public universities (as hosts), public schools (through educational resources), and state agencies (by requiring data sharing).
Maddy summaryThis bill directs approximately $15.5 million from dedicated corporation business tax revenues to the Department of Environmental Protection for land conservation and recreation projects. The funds will provide grants to nonprofit organizations to purchase or develop land for open space, with specific allocations for land acquisition, park development, and stewardship activities. Additionally, the legislation allows the department to use leftover money from canceled projects to provide extra funding to previously approved initiatives, subject to oversight committee approval.
Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes New Jersey to issue specialty license plates featuring Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. branding. Vehicle owners in New Jersey can apply for these plates by paying a $50 initial fee and $10 annual renewal fee, with all collected funds deposited into a dedicated "Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. License Plate Fund." The fund supports the sorority's programs, including youth education, economic development, and health initiatives for underserved communities. The design and color scheme are determined jointly by the Motor Vehicle Commission and the sorority's Eastern Regional Director.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3237) requires all televisions in New Jersey state-owned or leased buildings - such as courthouses or government offices - that are accessible to the public or state employees to display closed captioning for any programming that offers it. It defines "closed captioning" as the on-screen display of audio text and applies to all state agencies, including departments and commissions. The requirement does not apply to televisions manufactured before the bill’s effective date that cannot support closed captioning. The goal is to improve accessibility for viewers who are deaf or hard of hearing in public-facing state building environments.