Sen. Shirley Turner

Maddy summaryThis bill allows New Jersey municipalities and school boards to adopt ranked-choice voting for local elections through a voter referendum or petition. It permits communities to choose this voting method for non-primary elections for mayor, municipal council, or school board positions, requiring a petition signed by at least 10% of voters from the last General Assembly election. The bill specifies two counting methods: instant runoff for single-winner races (like mayor) and single transferable vote for multi-winner races (like council seats). Implementation requires local governing bodies to submit the change for voter approval via ballot, with the state Division of Elections providing implementation guidelines.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows public high schools in the same district to form cooperative sports programs when one school cannot field a varsity team due to low participation or budget constraints. It also permits specific students not enrolled in public school - including those attending nonpublic schools, charter schools, or receiving home instruction - to join their district's athletic teams if their own school doesn't offer that sport and the district cannot field a team. To participate, students must prove residency, meet all athletic eligibility requirements (like academic standards and physical exams), and for home-schooled students, demonstrate equivalent academic progress. Districts may charge participation fees for non-hardship cases but must follow state meal program criteria for financial hardship assessments.

Maddy summaryS 1550 eliminates standardized test scores as a measure of student growth in evaluating teachers, principals, assistant principals, and vice-principals in New Jersey schools. The bill requires school districts to use evaluation rubrics based on multiple measures of student learning (not standardized tests), professional practice standards, and multiple classroom observations. It mandates four performance rating categories (ineffective to highly effective) and prohibits standardized assessments from being a predominant factor in evaluations. The law also requires districts to implement these revised evaluations starting in the 2013-2014 school year, with results used to guide professional development. This directly affects all K-12 school staff members in New Jersey under the state's teacher evaluation system.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 1565 bill raises the mandatory retirement age for state judges from 70 to 75 years. It directly affects Supreme Court Justices, Superior Court Judges, Tax Court Judges, Administrative Law Judges, and Workers' Compensation Judges. The bill amends statutes to update the retirement age in all relevant court systems, maintaining existing pension rights and benefits. This change applies to all judges serving in these courts upon reaching the new age limit, with no other policy changes described in the provided text.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 21-member task force to study the Marie H. Katzenbach School for the Deaf and make recommendations. The task force, including students, parents, educators, and deaf community experts, will examine issues like facility conditions, enrollment trends, governance structure, and instructional challenges affecting the school. It will analyze how to improve the school's ability to prepare deaf and hard-of-hearing students for postsecondary education or careers. The bill itself creates the study mechanism but does not enact policy changes.

Maddy summarySCR 57 proposes a constitutional amendment requiring New Jersey to fully fund state-administered retirement systems for public employees starting July 1, 2023, with payments due in quarterly installments (25% by August 1, 50% by November 1, etc.). It guarantees non-forfeitable pension benefits for public employees with five years of service before May 21, 2010, and for those with ten years of service after that date, meaning their benefits cannot be reduced. The amendment makes the state’s funding obligations and members’ benefit rights enforceable in court, removing sovereign immunity for such cases. It also updates the constitution to mandate that retirement contributions be included in the annual state budget. This directly affects all state public employees covered by these retirement systems.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires school districts and contracted bus providers to maintain at least one school bus aide for every 15 special needs students during all bus transportation. It applies when buses carry special needs students alone or mixed with general education students. "Special needs" excludes students classified solely for specific learning disabilities under federal law. The rule takes effect for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits retailers in New Jersey from selling flavored cigarettes (including menthol and clove varieties), non-premium cigars, and oral nicotine pouches. It directly affects tobacco retailers who cannot sell these products through stores, vending machines, or promotional offers. Key provisions include banning any product with a characterizing flavor other than tobacco (excluding clove/menthol), with penalties starting at $250 for first violations and potential license suspension for repeat offenses. The law extends New Jersey's existing 2008 cigarette flavor ban to cover menthol and clove products, which were previously exempt under state law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey insurers and health plans to cover ovarian cancer screening for women with symptoms or at higher risk, including annual pelvic exams, ultrasounds, and blood marker tests. It applies to most individual and group health insurance policies, health maintenance organizations, and health benefits plans sold in the state. Coverage must be provided at the same level as other medical conditions under the policy, without additional cost-sharing. The law applies to policies where insurers retain the right to adjust premiums.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Senate Resolution (SR 48) urges federal agencies to update the official poverty measure, which has used a 1960s methodology unchanged for decades. The current measure only considers cash income against a food-cost-based threshold, ignoring regional cost-of-living differences, non-discretionary expenses (like medical costs or childcare), and noncash benefits (such as housing or food assistance). The resolution requests that the federal government revise the official measure to align with the existing Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM), which accounts for these factors. This would directly affect how poverty levels are calculated nationwide, influencing eligibility for federal and state assistance programs. The resolution has been referred to the Senate Health Committee and carries no binding effect.