Sen. Jon Bramnick

Maddy summaryThis is a symbolic Senate resolution (not a law) introduced by Senator Jon Bramnick. It condemns political violence - including the 2024 attempted assassination of Donald Trump - and urges New Jersey residents to treat each other with civility amid rising national tensions. The resolution emphasizes that respectful behavior, without new laws, can reduce stress and foster goodwill in daily interactions. It specifically asks elected leaders to model civility for constituents, referencing increased threats documented by the U.S. Capitol Police.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds $1,000,000 in supplemental funding to New Jersey's Division of Civil Rights (DCR) within the Department of Law and Public Safety for the 2024-2025 fiscal year. The DCR is the state agency responsible for enforcing civil rights laws, including protections against discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations. The funding directly supports the DCR's existing operations to investigate complaints and protect residents from bias-based discrimination. As a procedural budget measure, it does not change laws or create new policies.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a new disorderly persons offense in New Jersey for wearing a mask to conceal identity while committing another crime in a public gathering of masked individuals. It applies only when a person is charged with the underlying crime (under Title 2C) and was wearing the mask during that crime. Exceptions include Halloween celebrations, religious or educational events, weather protection, religious head coverings, and medical masks. Violating this law carries penalties of up to six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or both, and the conviction does not merge with the underlying crime.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Transportation (DOT), New Jersey Turnpike Authority (NJTA), and South Jersey Transportation Authority (SJTA) to install suicide prevention barriers on specific bridges and overpasses. Within one year of enactment, each agency must study state-owned bridges over state roads to identify those posing a significant suicide risk based on height, location, transportation hazards, and past suicide incidents. If barriers are feasible, agencies must install them; if not, they must implement secondary measures like surveillance systems, emergency phones connected to crisis hotlines, increased patrols, or informational signs. The law directly affects state bridges under these agencies' jurisdiction, not local or county structures.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's bias intimidation law to specifically include Sikhism as a protected class, alongside existing categories like race, religion, and sexual orientation. It requires law enforcement to properly classify anti-Sikh hate crimes and provides $100,000 annually for three years to fund Sikh awareness education and outreach initiatives. The bill mandates training for law enforcement on Sikh identity features (such as turbans and beards) to prevent misclassification of hate incidents. It also requires public entities to incorporate anti-Sikh hate definitions into their bias policies and directs the Attorney General to develop educational programs about Sikhism for schools. These measures address the fact that Sikhs are the second-most targeted religious group for hate crimes in the U.S., with 198 anti-Sikh hate incidents reported by the FBI in 2023.

Maddy summaryThis bill would establish a rebuttable presumption of pretrial detention for defendants charged with specific crimes indicating potential flight risk, including obstructing law enforcement, resisting arrest, evading police, hindering prosecution, or escaping parole. Under this law, defendants would be detained before trial unless they can prove (by a preponderance of evidence) that release conditions would reasonably assure their court appearance and public safety. Currently, New Jersey law only applied this presumption to defendants charged with murder or crimes that could result in life imprisonment. The bill would expand the list of crimes triggering this presumption to include the new offenses. This change would directly affect defendants charged with these specific crimes who are seeking release before trial.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires juveniles aged 16 or older charged with any offense that would be a crime, disorderly persons offense, or similar violation if committed by an adult to be automatically tried in adult court, without judicial discretion or the juvenile's consent. It directly affects teenagers 16+ facing criminal charges in New Jersey, shifting their cases from juvenile court to adult court by default for all qualifying offenses. The bill eliminates the current process where judges could consider factors like age, maturity, or prior record when deciding whether to waive jurisdiction for 16+ defendants. Juveniles aged 15 remain subject to the existing waiver process, which requires judicial review of specific factors before transferring cases to adult court.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts sales of bandages, dressings, gauze, and swabs (when disposable and not designed for repeated use) from New Jersey's sales and use tax. It directly affects consumers purchasing these common medical supplies, expanding the existing tax exemption to cover all such items regardless of whether they contain antiseptic or active ingredients. Currently, only bandages meeting the "over-the-counter drug" definition (with active ingredients listed) were exempt; this bill removes that distinction. The change applies to all qualifying sales made four months after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes New Jersey's official definition of anti-Semitism by adopting the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition, including its "contemporary examples," for use by state institutions. It requires state entities to consider this definition when reviewing or investigating potential anti-Semitic discrimination or bias crimes. The bill appropriates $100,000 to fund a public awareness campaign by the Attorney General's office, promoting the state's bias crimes reporting hotline and resources for identifying and reporting anti-Semitic incidents. The campaign aims to increase public understanding and reporting of bias crimes, particularly affecting Jewish communities and other vulnerable groups in New Jersey. The bill explicitly states it does not diminish First Amendment rights or conflict with existing anti-discrimination laws.

Maddy summaryS 2050, "Stephanie's Law," requires New Jersey's Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC) to create a publicly available domestic violence registry. This registry will include personal details (name, photo, vehicle info, address) for individuals convicted of domestic violence crimes, subject to final restraining orders, or found in contempt of such orders. Law enforcement officers must search this registry during arrests to check for active domestic violence restraining orders. The bill also establishes procedures for removing erroneous entries and updating address information.