Sen. Joe Cryan

Maddy summaryThis bill grants civil immunity to private, nonprofit colleges and their police officers in New Jersey when they act in good faith while enforcing laws. It specifically protects these officers and institutions from being sued for damages under certain circumstances, provided their actions were lawful and reasonable. The immunity does not exceed the protections already available to other duly appointed police officers in the state. This applies immediately to private colleges with their own police forces, as defined under existing law.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires trauma scene waste management service providers (companies cleaning biohazard sites like crime scenes or accident sites) and their bio-recovery specialists (individuals performing cleanup) to obtain state licenses. To be licensed, providers must have owners and key employees certified by the American Bio Recovery Association, pass background checks, register with environmental agencies, and demonstrate knowledge of the ANSI/IICRC S540 cleanup standard. The Department of Health will maintain a public registry of licensed providers, and law enforcement/fire departments must only refer to providers listed in this registry, prohibiting referrals to unlicensed entities. The licensing fees are $750 for initial provider licenses and $100 for individual specialist licenses, valid for two years.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's state pension and annuity funds must stop investing in the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies, defined by carbon content in their oil, gas, and coal reserves. Funds must divest from these companies within one year (two years for coal companies), though they may temporarily pause divestment if fund values drop below 99.5% of their hypothetical value without divestment. Annual reports on progress and investments sold will be required, with transparency mandated to the Governor, Legislature, and Attorney General. The bill directly affects New Jersey's public employee retirement funds and their investment management.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a three-year pilot program in New Jersey's six highest-crime municipalities (based on police data) to provide grants to non-profit organizations. These grants will fund community outreach efforts to inform crime victims about compensation available through the Victims of Crime Compensation Office (VCCO). The program requires the Department of Law and Public Safety to evaluate its effectiveness and submit a report to the Governor and Legislature within 90 days after completion, recommending whether to continue, expand, or make the program permanent. The initiative directly affects non-profits receiving grants, crime victims in targeted cities, and state agencies managing the VCCO.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires governing boards of New Jersey's public colleges and universities to set tuition and fee rates for the next academic year during the Spring semester, after the Governor releases the proposed state budget. It directly affects public higher education institutions' governing boards, mandating they adopt these rates within a specific timeframe. The key provision is the timing requirement - ensuring decisions happen after the budget is issued and during the Spring semester when campus communities are present. This aims to allow students, faculty, and staff greater opportunity to provide input before rates are finalized.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2830) creates new protections for homeowners facing fraudulent property transfers ("deed theft"). It requires courts to pause legal actions (like evictions or title disputes) involving residential properties when: 1) A government investigation into deed theft or fraud is ongoing, 2) Criminal charges related to deed theft are filed, or 3) A landlord-tenant dispute involves a genuine title conflict. A conviction for deed theft creates a legal presumption that the property transfer was fraudulent, allowing prosecutors to seek voiding of fraudulent deeds. The law directly affects homeowners, tenants, courts, and law enforcement handling property fraud cases in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey Senate Bill S 2829 establishes the Open Public Records Act (OPRA) Review Committee to examine how OPRA operates in practice. The 11-member committee - appointed with representation from media, local government, law enforcement, and the public - will review OPRA’s implementation, focusing on issues like commercial misuse of requests, balancing public records access with privacy rights, and complaints about harassment. It will assess whether changes are needed to limit commercial requests, extend response times for agencies, redact minors’ personal information, and update fees. The committee must report findings and recommendations to the Legislature and Governor within one year, after which it will expire.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires websites reselling tickets to provide clear, upfront disclosures to consumers. Specifically, such sites must prominently state: (1) that tickets are for secondary resale (not primary sale), (2) that primary tickets may still be available, (3) that resale prices may exceed face value, and (4) their refund policies for event cancellations. Websites must also disclose the venue's original ticket price before purchase and require buyers to confirm they’ve read these notices. Additionally, if a site redirects users to a resale platform, it must clearly state this doesn’t mean primary tickets are sold out or cheaper than face value. These rules apply to all ticket resale websites operating in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates tax benefits for "lifelong learning accounts" to help New Jersey residents pay for education and training. It allows individuals to exclude up to $2,500 in employer contributions from taxable income, and provides tax credits for personal contributions (50% of the first $500 or $1,000 for joint filers, then 25% for additional amounts). Employers can receive tax credits equal to 25% of contributions made to employees' accounts, up to $2,500 per employee per year, with small businesses eligible for additional credits for administrative costs. Accounts must be used exclusively for qualified education expenses like courses, training, apprenticeships, and related materials (not recreational purposes), and distributions for non-qualified purposes incur a 5% penalty. The accounts are available to taxpayers aged 18-70 who contribute to their own accounts or receive employer contributions.

Maddy summaryS 2775 requires New Jersey public colleges and universities to post bias intimidation statistics and their anti-bias policy on their websites in a prominent, easily accessible location. Institutions must adopt a detailed policy prohibiting bias intimidation - including definitions, reporting procedures, disciplinary actions, and victim support resources - and incorporate a first-year student module on bias intimidation. The bill also mandates that all students receive information about these policies and statistics through email or orientation materials. This applies to any public institution receiving state funds for student assistance programs, aiming to increase transparency around campus bias incidents.