Sen. Andrew Zwicker

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 1631 adds height and weight to the list of protected characteristics under the state's Law Against Discrimination. It makes it illegal for employers, public accommodations (like restaurants and stores), and housing providers to discriminate based on these factors. The bill amends existing law to include "height or weight" alongside categories like race, disability, and gender identity in all relevant sections. Enforcement will continue through the Division on Civil Rights, which handles complaints about discrimination.

Maddy summaryS 3624, "Elijah’s Law," requires all licensed New Jersey child care centers and registered family day care homes to implement annual anaphylaxis training for staff and maintain FDA-approved epinephrine devices for emergency use. The bill mandates training covering allergy awareness, symptom recognition, emergency response (including epinephrine administration), allergen prevention, and weight-based dosing. Facilities must keep undesignated stock epinephrine accessible for immediate use during allergic reactions. This directly affects child care providers serving children, many of whom may have undiagnosed allergies or be unable to self-advocate during emergencies. The law aims to address gaps revealed by preventable deaths, such as the case of Elijah-Alavi Silvera, by standardizing emergency protocols in child care settings.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the Blockchain Promotion and Integration Program in New Jersey, administered by the Commission on Science, Innovation and Technology with input from the Economic Development Authority. The program directly assists New Jersey businesses - especially small businesses - by increasing public awareness of blockchain technology, providing technical and financial support for adoption, connecting companies with resources, and recruiting investment into the blockchain sector. Key provisions include requiring the Commission to analyze New Jersey's blockchain industry landscape, partner with the New Jersey Blockchain Council and small business groups, and submit annual reports to the Governor and Legislature on progress and recommendations. The program aims to foster growth in blockchain-related business opportunities within the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Treasury to review and approve a blockchain-based digital payment platform designed for legal, licensed businesses that lack access to traditional banking and operate primarily in cash. The platform must enable secure cashless transactions with a 1:1 virtual currency-to-dollar conversion, record all transactions on a permanent digital ledger, and allow businesses to pay sales tax to local municipalities. Businesses would need state approval to use the platform, which must also support managing expenditures and meeting regulatory requirements. The law aims to expand digital commerce access for cash-reliant businesses while ensuring compliance and security.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3625) creates an alternative method for calculating retirement benefits for members of New Jersey's Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) and Public Employees’ Retirement System (PERS). It allows members to request a recalculation using their highest average annual pay from any three years of service (instead of the standard formula), with specific 60-day and 30-day deadlines for submitting requests and approving the new calculation. The change applies only to future benefit payments - not retroactive increases - and gives retirees who began receiving benefits after January 1, 2025, one year after the bill’s effective date to request this recalculation. The Division of Pensions and Benefits handles the notice process and final approval.

Maddy summaryS 3629 creates a pilot program allowing eligible New Jersey municipalities (called "pilot agencies") to develop microgrids that provide backup power to critical facilities like hospitals or emergency centers during outages. The bill enables these municipalities to partner with developers through 20-year power purchase agreements, subject to approval by the Division of Local Government Services and the Board of Public Utilities. Key provisions include requiring microgrids to use non-diesel distributed energy resources (like solar or storage) and ensuring the systems can operate independently from the main grid. This directly affects participating municipalities and the critical facilities they serve by improving local power resilience.

Maddy summaryS 3628 prohibits New Jersey public officials from accepting virtual currency and non-fungible tokens (NFTs) as gifts by adding these digital assets to the legal definition of "gift." The bill directly affects state employees, agency heads, and legislators - covered under existing gift-prohibition laws - by extending current restrictions to include these new forms of digital property. Key provisions amend statutory definitions to explicitly list virtual currency and NFTs as prohibited gifts, ensuring they are treated identically to traditional gifts under the law. This change updates existing ethics rules to address emerging digital assets without altering which officials are subject to the prohibition.

Maddy summaryS 3623 establishes a Fusion Energy and Technology Incentive Program through New Jersey's Economic Development Authority (EDA) to support fusion energy development. It provides tax credits to two groups: (1) power plant owners who lease space to fusion energy or technology companies, and (2) the companies themselves operating facilities on power plant sites. The program uses funds from the Global Warming Solutions Fund to cover these tax credits, targeting facilities that generate electricity using fusion energy or develop fusion technology. This policy directly affects power plant owners and fusion technology companies in New Jersey by offering financial incentives to repurpose power plant sites for fusion energy projects.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey law enforcement and automated license plate reader (ALPR) operators from sharing ALPR data with other states for investigations targeting people seeking or providing reproductive health care services that are legal in New Jersey (including pregnancy care, contraception, or abortion). It requires out-of-state law enforcement agencies to provide written assurance they won’t use the data for such investigations before NJ agencies share information. Violations carry civil penalties of up to $1,000 for a first offense and $5,000 for repeat offenses. The bill directly affects NJ law enforcement agencies, ALPR operators, and out-of-state agencies seeking to investigate legal reproductive health services.

Maddy summaryS 2189 (New Jersey Senate Bill 2189) requires the New Jersey Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study the potential deployment of advanced transmission technologies, such as high-performance conductors, power flow control systems, and grid-enhancing software. The study will evaluate how these technologies could reduce grid congestion, increase transmission capacity, and improve reliability for electric utilities serving New Jersey consumers. The BPU must analyze specific benefits including cost savings, faster deployment timelines (3 months to 3 years versus 10 years for traditional infrastructure), and how these technologies address existing grid bottlenecks. This is a procedural study bill with no immediate policy changes; it mandates analysis to inform future decisions about grid modernization.