Sen. Jon Bramnick

Maddy summaryS 176 requires fuel distributors, refiners, wholesalers, and suppliers to set the price charged to gas station retailers (tank wagon price) using a negotiated formula. This price must not exceed five cents per gallon above the terminal's listed price at the time of purchase. The bill does not apply to retailers who own their property, consignment sales, or pre-existing contracts. Violations carry a $5,000 fine per delivery. The law takes effect immediately upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Transportation (DOT), New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) to build physical barriers on bridges or overpasses deemed high-risk for suicide attempts. Within one year of enactment, each agency must study its bridges to identify those posing significant suicide threats based on height, location, transportation hazards, and past incidents. If barriers are feasible, the agencies must install them; if not, they must implement alternatives like emergency phones, surveillance systems, or crisis hotline access. The law directly affects these transportation agencies and aims to prevent suicide attempts at specific high-risk infrastructure locations.

Maddy summaryS 986 prohibits New Jersey liability insurers from including policy clauses that deny coverage for claims based on similarity to unrelated incidents. Specifically, it bans provisions allowing insurers to refuse payment for a claim simply because a similar fact, circumstance, or event occurred in a separate, unrelated case (e.g., denying medical malpractice coverage due to a prior unrelated incident). This directly affects insured individuals and businesses by ensuring coverage isn't denied for unrelated similarities. The bill takes effect immediately for policies issued or renewed after enactment, applying to all liability insurance in New Jersey. It targets "interrelated wrongful act clauses" that previously let insurers avoid liability based on unrelated prior events.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 1016 prohibits knowingly using misleading or false caller ID information to defraud, harm, or obtain value through phone calls or texts within the state. It directly affects scammers, fraudsters, and anyone manipulating caller ID with malicious intent. The bill makes violations a fourth-degree crime punishable by up to 18 months in jail, a $10,000 fine, or both. Key exceptions include federal law compliance (like the Truth in Caller ID Act), court orders, and legitimate law enforcement activities.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 998) would exempt volunteer fire companies and volunteer fire departments from New Jersey's Open Public Records Act (OPRA). It directly affects these volunteer organizations by preventing public access to their records, such as communications or financial documents, under current disclosure laws. The key mechanism is amending OPRA to explicitly exclude these entities from the definition of "public body" subject to record disclosure requirements. This change would mean residents could not request or access most records held by volunteer fire groups through standard public records requests.

Maddy summaryThe "Energy Security and Affordability Act" (S 1900) requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to prioritize energy security, diversity, and affordability when updating the state's Energy Master Plan. It mandates the BPU to conduct detailed economic and ratepayer impact analyses for all energy generation projects and the Master Plan itself, including cost breakdowns, infrastructure expenses, and public comment periods. These analyses must be published online for 10 years using open-source modeling tools. The bill directly affects ratepayers (utility customers) and energy developers by ensuring decisions consider financial impacts and public input before project approvals.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a state-certified program for private wildlife habitats in New Jersey. Property owners who establish habitats meeting DEP standards - using native plants and approved by certified entities like conservation groups or landscaping companies - can file a certificate with their municipality. Once filed, owners gain legal protection ("affirmative defense") against fines or penalties from local nuisance ordinances that might otherwise target natural habitat features. The certification lasts two years (with one renewal option) and requires inspections, with municipalities allowed to charge up to $25 for filing.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new offense for entering animal enclosures without permission and harassing or provoking wild animals in captivity (like at zoos). It directly affects visitors, activists, or others who enter restricted areas, classifying violations as a misdemeanor (no harm), fourth-degree crime (injury), or third-degree crime (death) with escalating penalties up to 5 years in prison. Convicted individuals must pay for animal injury/death costs, and parents/guardians may be liable for juvenile offenders' actions. The law explicitly states that poor enclosure security, animal provocation, or self-defense cannot be used as legal defenses.

Maddy summaryS 2623 allows surviving spouses of retired police and fire personnel (PFRS members) who died while receiving accidental disability retirement benefits to enroll in New Jersey's State Health Benefits Program (SHBP) with all premiums paid by the state. It also permits these surviving spouses to continue receiving their pension benefits after remarriage - normally a reason for termination - without losing this benefit. To qualify, the surviving spouse must provide documentation proving the retired member's disability or related complications were a significant factor in their death. This applies to spouses of members who died before, on, or after the bill's effective date, and allows previously terminated pensions due to remarriage to be reinstated upon application.

Maddy summaryS 1043 reduces liability insurance requirements for farm vehicles in New Jersey. It exempts farm tractors and traction equipment used for farming (registered under state law) from the standard $1.5 million commercial motor vehicle coverage requirement, lowering the required coverage to $300,000. This directly affects farmers who operate these vehicles, aligning their insurance standards with other farm equipment rather than general commercial vehicles. The bill amends existing law to clarify that these farm vehicles fall under a separate, lower coverage tier. The change applies to vehicles registered with the Motor Vehicle Commission under specific farm vehicle regulations.