Sen. Joe Cryan

Maddy summaryS 1459 would provide a property tax rebate to disabled veterans in New Jersey who own or occupy a primary residence as their main home. The bill defines eligibility to include veterans living in various housing types like condominiums, cooperatives, or manufactured homes, as long as they meet the state's "homestead" criteria for primary residence. This rebate would reduce the property tax burden for qualifying veterans on their eligible home. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's four-year public colleges to post detailed, publicly accessible information about online and graduate degree programs on their websites. It mandates specific data including costs (tuition, fees, housing, books), graduation rates broken down by demographics and major, student loan debt statistics disaggregated by race, income, and other factors, faculty composition, and online course offerings. The information must be updated annually and linked from application pages, with separate reporting for on-campus, commuting, and online students. This directly affects students researching degree options and families making enrollment decisions, providing transparency about program costs and outcomes.

Maddy summaryThis bill equalizes retirement benefits for New Jersey teachers by removing tiered membership in the Teachers’ Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). It moves all current non-retired TPAF members to the same benefit tier as those who joined before July 2007, and requires enrollment of public school employees meeting salary but not hour requirements. Educators in the Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) can automatically transfer service credit to TPAF (without transferring contributions), with an opt-out option within six months. It also expands disability retirement eligibility for current long-term disability recipients, requiring applications within two years of enactment.

Maddy summaryS 2515 creates a tax credit for New Jersey businesses that hire employees with developmental disabilities. Employers can claim a credit equal to 10% of wages paid to qualifying employees, capped at $3,000 per employee and $60,000 total per business annually. To qualify, employees must be certified by New Jersey’s Division of Developmental Disabilities as eligible for its services. Businesses cannot claim this credit for the same employee if they also claim a separate credit for employment at a sheltered workshop or occupational training center.

Maddy summaryS 1518 requires New Jersey's Department of Education to create a program replacing roofs and HVAC systems in school buildings that are 75+ years old, owned by school districts, and used for instruction. The bill appropriates $500 million into a dedicated state fund to cover all costs, including inspections, evaluations, and repairs, which must be performed by licensed contractors working for or contracted with the state. School districts may submit recent evaluations by licensed professionals instead of new state evaluations. Projects will be prioritized by the Commissioner of Education based on student safety needs and available funding.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes New Jersey's definition of "veteran" to remove specific date and location requirements for qualifying for civil service jobs and pension benefits. Previously, veterans had to prove service during exact historical periods (like World War I: April 6, 1917-November 11, 1918) or in designated locations (such as Lebanon during specific missions). The bill amends N.J.S.11A:5-1 to eliminate these restrictions, allowing more veterans who served in approved conflicts to qualify. It directly affects veterans whose service dates or locations no longer align with the old criteria but still meet the broader definition of honorable military service.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 604 prohibits state pension and annuity funds from investing in the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies, ranked by carbon content in their oil, gas, and coal reserves. It requires full divestment from these companies within one year (two years for coal companies), with exceptions allowing temporary reinvestment if fund values drop below 99.5% of their hypothetical value without divestment. The bill mandates annual reports tracking divestment progress and compliance to the Governor, Legislature, and Attorney General. This policy directly affects the state's $100+ billion pension funds and their investment decisions regarding fossil fuel holdings.

Maddy summaryS 1510 requires sellers of residential property within one-half mile of an operating landfill to provide written disclosure of the landfill's location to buyers before a sale contract is finalized. Buyers may cancel the contract within five business days of receiving this disclosure without penalty. Sellers who fail to disclose face fines of $5,000 or 10% of the purchase price (whichever is greater), and buyers can sue for additional penalties including attorney fees. The bill directs New Jersey’s Department of Community Affairs to create a landfill database with input from environmental and real estate agencies. (Note: This bill is pending in the Senate as of January 2026 and has not yet been voted on.)

Maddy summaryThis bill sets a 9:1 student-to-employee ratio for calculating state funding toward employee benefits at New Jersey's four-year public colleges. It requires the state to limit funding for fringe benefits to no more than nine full-time students per full-time employee position. Public institutions may use a better ratio (fewer students per employee) if they choose, but the state will not fund more employee positions than actually exist at the college. The rule applies to how state funds cover benefits like health insurance and retirement for college staff.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a temporary license pathway for spouses and dependents of active-duty U.S. military members who move to New Jersey due to military orders. It requires professional licensing boards to issue these temporary licenses if applicants hold current licenses in another state with equivalent requirements, have practiced for two of the past five years, and meet background and education criteria. The bill also eliminates application fees for these military family members and mandates that licensing forms include a checkbox for military status. These provisions aim to reduce barriers for military-connected individuals seeking to practice their professions in New Jersey while maintaining licensing standards.