Maddy summaryThis bill requires health insurance plans in New Jersey to cover prescription drugs for "serious mental illness" (including schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, and PTSD) without prior authorization or step therapy protocols. It directly affects individuals with these diagnoses who rely on insurance for mental health medications. Key provisions ban insurers from forcing patients to try lower-cost treatments first (step therapy) or requiring pre-approval for covered medications. The bill also mandates insurers to report how they apply medical necessity standards for mental health coverage to ensure parity with physical health benefits. This creates immediate, concrete changes to medication access for covered mental health conditions.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryS 2541 allocates $4.32 billion from New Jersey's Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund to help all 565 municipalities and 21 counties retire existing local debt or fund capital projects (like water systems, parks, or public safety facilities) without issuing new bonds. It directs the Department of Treasury to distribute $3 billion to municipalities equally per resident and $1.32 billion to counties equally per resident, with all funds to be distributed within 30 days of enactment. The bill adds $2.35 billion to the fund from the General Fund to support this allocation. This directly affects every local government in New Jersey by providing immediate, equitable funding for debt reduction and infrastructure.
Maddy summaryS 2610 allows registered nurses with a multistate nursing license (under the Enhanced Multistate Nurse Licensure Compact) to qualify for school nurse certification in New Jersey. The bill amends existing law to recognize these licenses as meeting the registered nurse requirement for school nurse endorsements, replacing the previous requirement for a New Jersey-specific license. This change directly affects nurses holding a multistate license who seek to work as school nurses in New Jersey public schools. It removes a barrier that previously prevented such nurses from obtaining certification without obtaining an additional New Jersey nursing license.
Maddy summaryThis bill extends the closing time for all polling places in New Jersey elections from 8:00 PM to 9:00 PM. It directly affects all voters participating in general elections, primary elections, and special elections by providing an additional hour to cast ballots. The key mechanism is amending two statutes (R.S.19:2-1 and R.S.19:15-2) to update the closing time without changing other election procedures or early voting rules. This change applies uniformly across all election types covered by the amended statutes.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 366) updates New Jersey's murder and assault laws to include death or serious injury occurring during car theft. It specifically adds "theft of a motor vehicle" to the list of crimes that can trigger felony murder charges under N.J.S.2C:11-3, meaning someone who causes death while stealing a car could now face murder charges instead of a lesser offense. The key change expands existing felony murder provisions - previously covering crimes like robbery or burglary - to explicitly include auto theft. This directly affects individuals committing car theft who cause death or serious injury during the act. The bill does not change sentencing but clarifies that such incidents will be prosecuted under the more severe murder statute.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 854) allows parents or guardians of public school students to receive a voucher from their school district if they withdraw their child due to objections about curriculum materials or activities they consider harmful. The voucher covers 75% of the district's annual per-pupil spending (prorated for remaining school days) to help pay for nonpublic school tuition and fees. It specifically includes objections related to materials addressing sex, sexuality, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, or ethics. The bill requires school districts to provide this funding if parents withdraw their child for these reasons, and it takes effect immediately upon enactment.
Maddy summaryThis bill creates a property tax exemption for New Jersey veterans with service-connected disabilities, calculated proportionally to their disability rating (e.g., 50% disability = 50% exemption). It directly affects veterans declared by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to have a service-connected disability of at least 30% (or deemed unemployable due to such disability), and their surviving spouses under specific conditions. The state will reimburse municipalities 102% of the tax revenue lost from these exemptions, with a $10,000 cap for partial exemptions (below 100% disability).
Maddy summarySCR 15 is a concurrent resolution directing New Jersey's State Commission of Investigation (SCI) to examine human trafficking activity specifically at businesses employing massage and bodywork therapists. These businesses are subject to existing registration and licensing requirements under state law. The SCI must complete its investigation within two years, issue a report with findings and recommendations to the Governor and Legislature, and refer any evidence of trafficking to the Attorney General. The resolution does not create new laws but mandates a review to assess whether current regulations effectively address trafficking risks in this sector.
Maddy summaryThis bill allows grocery stores, restaurants, and other retail sellers to voluntarily donate expired food or food waste (like items past their sell-by date or spoiled leftovers) to farmers for use as animal feed. Farmers must sign a liability waiver acknowledging the risks of using expired food and releasing the business from legal responsibility. The bill also directs the Farm Liaison to help coordinate donations between retailers and farmers by developing networks and sharing information about available food. It directly affects retail businesses and farmers by creating a legal pathway for food waste donation while limiting business liability. The law takes effect immediately upon passage.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 363) expands the list of crimes that prevent inmates from being automatically released on administrative parole under New Jersey’s "Earn Your Way Out" Act (P.L.2019, c.364). It adds specific serious offenses - including human trafficking, child pornography, drug trafficking leadership, aggravated arson, and terrorism-related crimes - to the existing exclusion list, making individuals convicted of these crimes ineligible for automatic parole even if they meet other criteria. The bill affects inmates serving sentences for these newly listed offenses, who would previously have qualified for parole under the 2019 law if they completed rehabilitation programs and had no disciplinary issues. The policy change clarifies that these offenses, defined as first-degree crimes punishable by 10-20 years in prison, are excluded from the automatic parole process.