Sen. Shirley Turner

Maddy summaryThis bill appropriates $34 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to fund farmland preservation. It provides counties with base grants ($500,000-$1 million) and eligibility for competitive grants (up to $7.5 million per county) to cover up to 80% of costs for acquiring development easements - conservation agreements that permanently protect farmland from development. The funds target specific counties and municipalities approved for farmland preservation projects under existing state law. The bill redirects existing constitutionally dedicated CBT revenues (approved by voters in 2014) to the Preserve New Jersey Farmland Preservation Fund, with no new tax revenue required.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates New Jersey's licensing definitions for cosmetic services, clarifying which practices require specific licenses. It defines key terms like "barber" (primarily for male customers), "beautician" (primarily for female customers), "cosmetologist-hairstylist," and "manicurist," specifying exactly which cosmetic services each license covers. The bill affects salons, barbershops, and individual practitioners who must now operate under these clarified licensing categories. It also establishes rules for student-run "clinics" where supervised senior students provide services, requiring clear fee posting and consumer notices.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to create an automated online platform (the "State Smart Solar Permitting Platform") to speed up approval of residential solar energy system installations. It directly affects homeowners, solar installers, and local governments by replacing slow manual permitting with instant digital reviews. The platform must automatically check code compliance, issue permits within minutes, allow 24/7 applications, and support electronic signatures - handling 75% of standard residential systems. Local agencies must adopt the platform or an equivalent alternative within 18 months, with penalties for non-compliance to fund low-income energy assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a School Plastics Upcycling Grant Program within New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP). It provides proportional grants to public and private K-12 schools based on each school's annual collection of plastic waste (like bags and packaging) during the prior school year. Schools submit applications showing they collected plastic for upcycling, and the DEP awards funds to purchase school-appropriate furniture (e.g., desks, chairs) made by authorized upcyclers from that collected plastic. The program operates on a pilot basis for three years, with grants distributed proportionally according to each school's share of total collected plastics. Eligibility requires schools to demonstrate plastic collection activities and donation of materials to approved upcyclers.

Maddy summaryS 261, the "Compassion for Community Cats Law," requires animal shelters and rescue organizations in New Jersey to spay or neuter cats before adoption (with exceptions for kittens under two months or health reasons). It creates a new fund in the Department of Health, financed by penalties from shelter violations and other sources, to provide grants to municipalities for community cat programs. These programs must humanely trap, sterilize, vaccinate, ear-tip, and return outdoor cats to their original locations. The law directly affects animal shelters, municipalities running cat programs, and community cats (stray or feral cats with no known owner).

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2802) requires New Jersey's Silver Alert System to use identical broadcast procedures as the Amber Alert System for media outlets. Specifically, participating radio and TV stations must play a distinctive tone followed by "This is a Missing Person Silver Alert" and include the missing person's description and contact information. Alerts must be broadcast as frequently as possible for the first three hours, then at intervals determined by law enforcement and media. The bill directly affects law enforcement agencies coordinating alerts, media outlets, and missing persons with cognitive impairments (the target of Silver Alerts). It mandates procedural alignment with Amber Alerts without changing the criteria for issuing Silver Alerts.

Maddy summaryS 3759 amends New Jersey's Law Against Discrimination to explicitly prohibit discrimination based on "source of lawful income" in housing and employment. The bill defines "source of lawful income" to include housing assistance vouchers (like Section 8), disability benefits, veterans' benefits, child support, and other legal income sources. It clarifies that this prohibition applies specifically to income used for rental or mortgage payments, making existing protections more consistent throughout the law. The bill also increases the retirement benefit threshold from $27,000 to $44,000 and makes certain language gender-neutral.

Maddy summaryS 4012 establishes the "New Economy Opportunity Skills System Pilot Program" to improve collaboration between local workforce development boards, community colleges, and county vocational school districts in New Jersey. The pilot program, launching in three areas, requires joint development of workforce training with industry credentials, coordinated marketing, and integrated funding planning to better align services with employer needs. Community colleges are designated as the preferred providers for workforce training and adult literacy programs under state workforce services. The State Employment and Training Commission must submit annual reports on program outcomes and develop a statewide strategy to expand the pilot, with funding prioritizing federal sources before state funds. The program expires after three years but allows for anticipatory implementation steps.

Maddy summaryThis bill gives resident homeowners in manufactured home parks (where they own their home but not the land) the right to purchase their community if the landowner plans to sell. It requires landowners to notify resident homeowners, the Department of Community Affairs, and others when offering to sell the land, and gives resident homeowners 120 days to form a group, meet the landowner's terms, and execute a purchase agreement with 51% consent. The bill allows resident homeowners to select up to seven representatives to negotiate on their behalf and permits them to assign their purchase rights to a municipality or nonprofit organization. This protects residents from displacement when their park is sold, addressing the unique challenge that manufactured home park residents face when they own their home but not the land.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 2867 requires the Department of Education (DOE) to create and maintain a free, publicly searchable online registry for tutoring services. The registry will list individuals and organizations (like certified teachers, college students, industry professionals, and relevant nonprofits) offering free tutoring to students, including their contact details, subject expertise, and availability. To join, applicants must undergo criminal background checks (except for currently certified teachers), and organizations must verify their tutors' checks. The DOE must include a disclaimer stating the registry isn't an endorsement of service quality.