Sen. Andrew Zwicker

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the New Jersey Workforce Industry Needs Scholarship to support students at county colleges and vocational schools. It covers up to $5,000 annually for tuition, fees, course materials, and professional license costs (after other aid), limited to two years for non-degree programs or three years for associate degrees. To qualify, students must be New Jersey residents enrolled in programs aligned with state labor needs - such as health care, advanced manufacturing, or education - and either be employed or complete a financial literacy course. The program requires annual reporting on scholarship usage, recipient demographics, and job placement rates in targeted fields.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $1.5 million grant program to support wine and grape education at New Jersey's four-year public colleges. It directs the Secretary of Higher Education to award up to $500,000 each to three institutions - one in each of the state's southern, central, and northern regions - to create or expand degree or certificate programs in wine science, grape growing, and related business operations. Institutions must include plans for student partnerships with wineries and local industry, and the program permits under-21 students to enroll in coursework not involving alcohol consumption. The program requires a final report to the Governor and Legislature on its implementation and outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey counties to establish crisis intervention services programs providing mental health support for law enforcement officers, firefighters, and sheriff's officers following critical incidents. The programs must offer up to 12 counseling sessions (with up to 24 additional sessions possible within a year) for eligible personnel, including volunteer firefighters and 9-1-1 dispatchers, while prohibiting employers from requiring employees to use accrued leave for counseling sessions. The bill expands the definition of "critical incidents" to include witnessing death or maiming, dangerous child crime investigations, and life-threatening rescue situations, and requires counties to compile data on program usage with the state reimbursing counties for program costs.

Maddy summaryS 2181 temporarily removes a residency requirement for new hires by New Jersey school districts, charter schools, and renaissance school projects. For three years after the bill takes effect, these employers may hire out-of-state residents without requiring them to live in New Jersey, provided the position was advertised to New Jersey residents for at least three months and the new employee was not a New Jersey resident employed by such a school in the past year or during the three-year period. This exemption applies only to new hires meeting these conditions and does not affect current employees or positions that do not qualify. The bill is currently pending in the Assembly after passing the Senate unanimously.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "New Jersey Migrant and Refugee Assistance Act," creating a program within the Department of Human Services to help migrants and refugees access public assistance programs. The program connects individuals (including those from Haiti, Venezuela, and the Democratic Republic of Congo) with resources like housing, healthcare, job training, education, and legal services. It requires the Department to collaborate with local governments and community groups, run multilingual outreach campaigns, and submit annual reports tracking program effectiveness and service details. The law takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides New Jersey residents who are members of the Army, Navy, Marine, Air Force, or Coast Guard Reserve with tuition-free enrollment at public colleges for up to 16 credits per semester. It requires reservists to first apply for federal benefits like the Post-9/11 GI Bill, with the state reimbursing public colleges for uncovered tuition costs. The law also extends similar tuition benefits to children or surviving spouses of reservists killed in service. Eligibility requires completion of basic military training, enrollment as a student in good standing, and meeting federal benefit application requirements.

Maddy summaryBill S 3281 would raise the age requirement for obtaining a firearms purchaser identification card (used to purchase rifles and shotguns) from 18 to 21 years old. Currently, individuals aged 18 or older can obtain this card, while handgun purchasers must be 21. The bill would allow those under 21 to still possess firearms under specific circumstances, such as being under direct supervision of an adult with proper authorization, participating in military drill, target practice, or hunting with appropriate licenses. Active duty military members, National Guard members, and individuals who already held a firearms purchaser ID card before the bill's effective date would be exempt from the age change. This change would align the age requirement for rifle and shotgun purchases with the current requirement for handgun purchases.

Maddy summaryS 3243 allocates an additional $500,000 to New Jersey's Department of Health for the Huntington's Disease Grant Program, increasing total funding to $700,437. This supplemental funding supports grants to institutions of higher education, non-profits, and New Jersey-based research organizations to provide services like pre-symptomatic testing, neurological and psychiatric care, treatment, and counseling. The program directly assists approximately 900-1,200 New Jersey residents living with Huntington's Disease and an estimated 7,000 at-risk individuals. Huntington's Disease is a fatal, inherited condition causing progressive neurological decline without a cure.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a $44.7 million Stabilized School Budget Aid Grant Program to help eligible New Jersey school districts affected by state aid cuts in the 2024-2025 school year. It provides grants covering two-thirds of each district's state aid reduction (capped at 9.9% of their prior year's tax levy) and allows eligible districts to temporarily exceed normal tax increase limits to offset these cuts. Districts receiving aid must maintain staff levels from the previous year unless enrollment declines, requiring commissioner approval for reductions. The program specifically excludes SDA districts (special needs districts) from the tax levy exception but does not affect their existing tax authority.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides $105,886,559 in supplemental state school aid to 140 New Jersey school districts facing proposed reductions in their total state aid for the 2024-2025 school year. It ensures these districts receive additional funds equal to the difference between their 2023-2024 and proposed 2024-2025 state aid amounts, covering categories like equalization aid, special education funding, and transportation support. To receive the aid, districts must submit a written plan to the Commissioner of Education detailing how they will fund operations in future years without this supplemental aid. The funds, drawn from the Property Tax Relief Fund, are distributed directly to eligible districts as specified in the bill's detailed table.