Sen. Patrick Diegnan

Maddy summaryS 2530 establishes a rebuttable presumption that defendants charged with domestic violence by strangling their victims must be detained before trial rather than released on bail. The presumption applies when a court finds probable cause that the defendant committed aggravated assault by strangling a domestic violence victim, and the defendant may rebut it with a preponderance of evidence. This extends a current presumption (which applies to murder or life imprisonment crimes) to this specific domestic violence scenario. The bill aims to increase safety for domestic violence victims by keeping alleged perpetrators in custody during pretrial proceedings.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey to create roadside signs and an online website promoting tourism attractions, historic sites, and historic districts. Qualifying attractions must meet specific criteria to participate, including being within 15 miles of a highway, open to the public for 30+ hours weekly, and offering cultural/historical value. The Department of Transportation will update signage rules to include these locations, while the Department of State will develop a searchable website with maps, driving directions, photos, and contact information for visitors. These resources aim to make it easier for tourists to find and visit these sites across the state.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the State of New Jersey to annually reimburse municipalities for the full cost of exempting disabled veterans' property from local property taxes. It directly affects all New Jersey municipalities that provide this exemption under existing law (P.L.1948, c.259). The key mechanism mandates the state pay each municipality 102% of the total tax value of disabled veterans' exemptions, covering both lost revenue and administrative costs. Municipalities must certify exemption numbers and amounts by June 1 each year, and the state will fund this through the existing property tax system. This replaces the current practice where municipalities alone absorbed these costs, which sometimes led to higher taxes for other residents or reduced services.

Maddy summaryS 991 creates a permanent unit within New Jersey's State Office of Emergency Management to specifically support residents with access and functional needs during disasters. This unit directly affects people with disabilities, older adults, those with limited English proficiency, transportation barriers, or financial constraints - representing about 24.6% of New Jersey adults. The unit will coordinate regional planning to identify needs before, during, and after emergencies; assess resource availability; address access barriers; and collaborate with local emergency offices. It will operate with one full-time supervisor and three full-time planners across the state's northern, central, and southern regions.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts disabled veterans and Purple Heart recipients from paying municipal parking meter fees when driving or riding as a passenger in a vehicle displaying their special license plate or placard issued by New Jersey's Motor Vehicle Commission (MVC). It applies only to vehicles with these specific MVC-issued plates or placards and does not cover parking longer than 24 hours in one location. The exemption is automatic upon presentation of the required plate or placard at the meter. The New Jersey MVC will handle issuing these plates under the new rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill allows nurses with a multistate nursing license to qualify for school nurse certification in New Jersey. It amends current law to include multistate licenses (under the enhanced multistate Nurse Licensure Compact) as a valid license type for obtaining school nurse endorsements, substitute credentials, and non-instructional roles. The change specifically updates requirements in P.L.1999, c.153 and P.L.2017, c.70 to replace "New Jersey registered nurse license" with "multistate license" where applicable. Nurses must still meet all other certification standards, including a bachelor's degree, required coursework, and clinical experience.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new program to reimburse counties for providing transportation to disabled veterans traveling to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs medical appointments in New Jersey or neighboring states. It removes previous restrictions that limited veterans to only specific transportation methods, allowing counties to use public transit, private vehicles, or county-owned services for reimbursement. The program directly affects disabled veterans with service-connected disabilities and participating county governments. It appropriates $2 million from the state General Fund to fund this transportation assistance, effective six months after enactment. The law amends existing provisions to expand access for veterans who cannot use existing state or federal travel programs.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a pilot program to incentivize energy storage system installations in New Jersey. It provides two types of financial support: one-time upfront payments to cover installation costs (based on storage capacity) and recurring performance payments for systems benefiting the grid. The program targets both customer-sited systems (on the customer side of the meter) and utility-owned front-of-the-meter systems, with at least one-third of upfront incentives reserved for low-income customers and overburdened communities. The Board of Public Utilities must establish the program within 90 days of the bill's effective date, using data from similar programs in other states.

Maddy summaryS 1392 creates an Office of Clean Energy Equity within New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to ensure clean energy programs benefit overburdened communities - areas facing environmental and economic challenges. The bill requires the BPU to establish solar programs reaching 250,000 low-income households by 2030 (reducing their energy costs to under 6% of income) and deploy 1,600 megawatt-hours of energy storage in these communities by 2030. It mandates at least $50 million annually for the office to fund workforce training, community outreach, and program evaluation, with strict requirements for community input and resiliency-focused energy storage. The law directly affects low-income households and overburdened communities through targeted energy cost reductions, job opportunities, and improved disaster resilience.

Maddy summaryS 2494 creates a process for school districts and private schools to obtain emergency teaching certifications for candidates in high-need fields (like bilingual education) when certified teachers cannot be found. To qualify, candidates must hold a current teaching certificate in another area, be enrolled in a relevant educator preparation program, and pass subject exams. Emergency certifications are valid for up to three years total (renewable once annually) and can only be used in the applying school. The bill also limits emergency-certified staff to 20% of a school's teaching staff and requires the state to annually review and publish a list of high-need fields.