Sen. Shirley Turner

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey public colleges and universities from raising tuition for in-state undergraduate students during their first four years of enrollment. It directly affects resident undergraduates at institutions like Rutgers or NJIT, freezing their tuition rates for the duration of their standard four-year program. For students in longer programs (e.g., engineering or architecture), the freeze applies for the full time required to graduate. The policy takes effect immediately for students enrolling after the bill's passage.

Maddy summaryS 3253 requires New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs to establish a competitive process for selecting at least five qualified vendors to conduct online tax lien sales. Vendors must demonstrate experience in tax lien services and electronic auction systems, and disclose corporate ownership details. Municipalities will then be able to choose from this pre-approved vendor list, replacing the previous system that allowed a single vendor to dominate without oversight. This change aims to increase transparency, prevent bid rigging, and ensure fairer costs for homeowners and local governments.

Maddy summaryThis bill would exempt the sale of condoms from New Jersey's sales tax, making them more affordable for consumers who purchase them. It adds condoms to the existing list of tax-exempt medical items, which includes prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, diabetic supplies, and tampons. The exemption would apply to all sales made four months after the bill becomes law. The sponsor cited rising sexually transmitted disease rates and stated the goal is to increase condom accessibility to encourage responsible personal behavior.

Maddy summarySJR 74 designates the first full week of March each year as "Civic Learning Week" in New Jersey. The resolution encourages schools and civic organizations to hold educational programs about civic duty and urges residents to reflect on their civic responsibilities. It does not create new laws, funding, or mandates but serves as a symbolic recognition to promote civic education and engagement among students and communities.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Jersey's charter school rules to improve accountability and enrollment fairness. It requires charter schools to use lotteries for oversubscribed seats, prioritize local students, and maintain waiting lists with demographic data (including race, special needs, and free lunch eligibility). Schools must report annual enrollment demographics to the state and post this data online, with the commissioner intervening if schools fail to match district diversity. These changes aim to ensure charter schools better reflect their communities while maintaining transparency.

Maddy summaryThis bill would require New Jersey to observe daylight saving time year-round if federal law permits it. It affects all residents and businesses in New Jersey by eliminating the biannual clock changes between standard and daylight saving time. The bill amends state law to remove the seasonal time adjustment clause, making daylight saving time the permanent standard. However, it cannot take effect until Congress changes federal law to allow states to adopt year-round daylight saving time.

Maddy summarySCR 75 proposes a temporary constitutional amendment allowing a special convention focused on property tax reform to propose changes to state laws (not just constitutional amendments). The convention would require voter approval in November 2026 to convene, and any proposed law changes would need separate voter approval in November 2027. This amendment would expire three years after voter approval, enabling the convention to address both constitutional and statutory changes needed for property tax reform. It directly affects New Jersey property taxpayers by altering how future tax system changes could be proposed.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new "charter school payment reserve account" that New Jersey school districts can establish to cover unexpected increases in payments to charter schools. It directly affects school districts that budget less for charter school payments than the state department projects, as the reserve funds would finance the difference between the initial budget and actual payments based on October enrollment. Districts can fund the reserve through their annual budget or year-end transfers of unspent revenue. The bill amends existing law to add this specific reserve account, ensuring districts have a mechanism to manage these payment shortfalls without disrupting other funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey public utilities from charging three specific fees to customers: (1) surcharges for using third-party payment processors, (2) fees for choosing one-time payments instead of automatic payments, and (3) fees for requesting paper statements instead of paperless billing. It directly affects all residential and business customers who pay utility bills in New Jersey. The law takes immediate effect, requiring utilities to absorb costs related to payment processing and billing methods without passing them to customers. This creates a clear policy change by eliminating these optional fees from utility bills.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey school districts and contracted bus providers to maintain at least one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students during transportation. It applies to buses carrying special needs students or mixed groups of special needs and general education students, but excludes students classified solely for "specific learning disabilities" under federal law. The rule takes effect for the first full school year after the bill becomes law. This policy directly affects school transportation services and ensures minimum staffing levels for student safety during bus travel.