Sen. Shirley Turner

Maddy summaryS 2970 would lower New Jersey's compulsory school attendance age from six to five years old, requiring children to start school at age five instead of six. It directly affects children aged five through sixteen and their parents or guardians, who must ensure regular school attendance. The bill amends four sections of state education law to update the age range and related truancy penalties, including revisions to attendance officer procedures and fines for noncompliance. The change would take effect for the second full school year after the bill becomes law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurers in New Jersey to cover over-the-counter contraceptive drugs without cost-sharing, prescription requirements, or medical management restrictions. It clarifies that insurers must provide coverage for either requested prescription contraceptives or their therapeutic equivalents, with medical necessity for over-the-counter contraceptives deemed automatically present. The law applies to all health insurance plans sold in New Jersey, including hospital service corporations, medical service corporations, health maintenance organizations, and Medicaid programs. It ensures that individuals can access contraceptive drugs at point-of-sale without deductibles, copays, or provider orders, and extends coverage to pharmacy-furnished self-administered hormonal contraceptives. The bill updates existing coverage requirements to explicitly include over-the-counter contraceptive drugs as a standard benefit.

Maddy summarySCR 81 proposes a constitutional amendment to increase New Jersey's veterans' property tax deduction from $250 to $2,500 over four years. The deduction would rise to $1,000 in 2025, $1,500 in 2026, $2,000 in 2027, and $2,500 starting in 2028, remaining at that level annually thereafter. This change directly affects honorably discharged veterans and their surviving spouses (who qualify after the veteran's death). The amendment would adjust the existing tax benefit without altering other eligibility rules or requiring new administrative processes.

Maddy summaryS 2050, "Stephanie's Law," requires New Jersey's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to create a publicly available domestic violence registry. This registry will include personal details (name, photo, vehicle info, address) for individuals convicted of domestic violence crimes, subject to final restraining orders, or found in contempt of such orders. Law enforcement officers must search this registry during arrests to check for active domestic violence restraining orders. The bill also establishes procedures for removing erroneous entries and updating address information.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a loan program within New Jersey's Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP), allowing state employees to borrow from their retirement savings without triggering a taxable withdrawal. Participants could access funds from their mandatory, voluntary, or rollover contribution subaccounts, with interest credited back to their mandatory account. The program board will set eligibility rules, loan amounts, repayment schedules, and interest rates while maintaining the plan's federal tax-qualified status. This directly affects current and future DCRP participants who may need temporary access to retirement funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to appropriate at least $10 million annually from the General Fund to the Department of Health for Public Health Priority Funding, starting July after the bill takes effect. It directly affects local health departments across the state, which lost this dedicated, unrestricted funding when it was eliminated in 2011 (previously accounting for about 15% of their budget). The funding must be spent as outlined in the existing "Public Health Priority Funding Act of 1977," restoring a flexible resource for local health needs. Currently, local health departments rely on fragmented funding sources like property taxes and purpose-limited grants, which this bill aims to supplement.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey bill S 1032 requires the Department of Human Services (DHS) and Department of Children’s Services (DCS) to study workforce conditions for service providers in mental health, substance use disorder, and developmental disability programs, as well as child welfare services. It mandates annual cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) for these providers based on the Consumer Price Index, effective October 1 each year. The studies must examine workforce vacancy rates, demographics, geographic distribution, care needs, and future supply-demand gaps. DHS and DCS must report findings and COLA evaluations to the Governor and Legislature annually, with public access to reports online. The bill directly affects contracted service providers delivering Medicaid-funded care in these sectors.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 3370) prohibits colleges and universities from giving admission advantages based on a student's "legacy status," defined as having a family member who attended the same institution. It also bans preferential treatment for applicants connected to donors of the institution. The law applies to all higher education institutions in New Jersey and takes effect immediately. It directly affects admission decisions for students with family ties to alumni or donors.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 3344 requires the Division of Gaming Enforcement, in collaboration with the Health Commissioner, to create a public awareness campaign about gambling risks and resources for compulsive gamblers. The campaign must cover gambling risks, consequences, addiction rates, and available help through media like TV, radio, social media, and newspapers within 180 days of the bill's enactment. The bill appropriates $200,000 from the General Fund to fund this initiative. The campaign's director must report to the Governor and Legislature on its progress within 24 months of the law taking effect.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's "Uniform Real Property Transfer on Death Act," allowing residents aged 18 or older with sound mind to transfer real property (like homes or land) to designated beneficiaries upon their death using a "transfer on death deed." The deed is revocable during the owner's life, requires no beneficiary acceptance or payment, and transfers property automatically without probate. Key rules include: beneficiaries must survive the owner to inherit, concurrent beneficiaries share equally without survivorship rights, and the deed does not affect creditor claims against the owner or public assistance eligibility. It directly affects property owners seeking to simplify estate transfers while retaining full control during their lifetime.