Sen. Doug Steinhardt

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3812) removes a restriction that allowed the Police and Firemen’s Retirement System (PFRS) to withhold retirement or death benefits from members due to ongoing civil lawsuits related to their employment. It directly affects current and future PFRS members (police officers and firefighters) who are involved in civil litigation over their jobs. The bill requires the PFRS Board to pay benefits immediately, but permits adjustments if a legal case later results in penalties. It maintains existing rules that allow withholding for criminal charges or administrative dismissals from public employment.

Maddy summarySenate Bill S 2788 appropriates $128.241 million from constitutionally dedicated corporation business tax (CBT) revenues to the State Agriculture Development Committee (SADC) for farmland preservation. The funds will pay for permanent land protections on farmland through development easements or fee simple purchases, with grants available to counties (covering up to 80% of costs), municipalities, and qualifying nonprofits (covering up to 50% of costs). Additional funds cover administrative expenses, including staff salaries, appraisals, survey costs, and legal enforcement of preservation agreements. This bill implements existing farmland preservation programs under the Preserve New Jersey Act and related legislation.

Maddy summaryS 4004 updates New Jersey's law governing employment programs for people with disabilities by renaming the "Sheltered Workshop Act" to the "Extended Employment Act" and replacing outdated terminology. It expands eligibility to include individuals with "significant" disabilities (not just "severe" ones) and removes requirements like prior workshop completion or proof of inability to compete in the open labor market. The bill shifts oversight from the New Jersey Commission for the Blind to the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation Services, revises funding to tie annual increases to inflation or 80% of provider expense reports (whichever is greater), and repeals outdated labeling and transportation rules for program products. This directly affects nonprofit extended employment providers, people with disabilities using these programs, and state agencies managing vocational rehabilitation services.

Maddy summaryS 3249 creates an alternative way for employers to meet New Jersey's earned sick leave requirements for unionized employees. Instead of providing separate sick leave, employers can offer a paid time off (PTO) plan of at least 40 hours per benefit year (which employees can use for sick leave purposes) to workers covered by collective bargaining agreements. This provision applies only to unionized employees, not all workers, and is retroactive to the 2018 effective date of the original earned sick leave law.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes New Jersey's juvenile justice law to require that any juvenile charged with a crime listed under the "No Early Release Act" (NERA) be tried as an adult in criminal court, regardless of the juvenile's age. Currently, juveniles 15 or older can be tried as adults for certain serious offenses, but this bill expands the requirement to all NERA crimes and removes the age requirement. The NERA crimes include serious offenses such as murder, aggravated assault, kidnapping, sexual assault, robbery, carjacking, and certain drug-related crimes. The bill also requires the Youth Justice Commission to collect and analyze data on these cases to monitor how the law is being applied. This policy change affects all juveniles in New Jersey who are charged with NERA crimes, shifting their cases from juvenile court to adult criminal court.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all health insurance plans in New Jersey to cover treatment for lipedema, a chronic condition involving abnormal fat accumulation. It mandates coverage for specific treatments including compression garments, manual lymphatic drainage, medical nutrition therapy, mental health care, and lipectomy when deemed medically necessary by a surgeon. Insurers must accept a physician's diagnosis and surgeon documentation (including photos if applicable) as sufficient for coverage, cannot deny coverage solely based on photos, and must cover the full number of lipectomies recommended by a surgeon. Prior authorization for lipectomy must remain valid for one year, and coverage must align with the current standard of care for lipedema treatment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey acute care hospitals to attempt contacting a family member within 72 hours of a patient's release after receiving treatment for a drug overdose. It directly affects families of patients who experienced an overdose and were treated in a hospital. Hospitals must try to notify family members only if they have the family's contact information and the notification complies with federal and state privacy laws, such as HIPAA. The law applies to all hospitals licensed under New Jersey law and takes effect immediately.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases annual funding for New Jersey's Commission on Cancer Research (NJCCR) from $1 million to $10 million by redirecting cigarette and tobacco tax revenues into a dedicated, permanent Cancer Research Fund. The fund, established within the Department of the Treasury, must use at least $5 million annually for general cancer research and at least $5 million for pediatric cancer research, with all funds exclusively supporting approved research projects. Unlike the previous system, this fund is non-lapsing (permanent), preventing annual budget transfers that previously reduced available resources. The bill also repeals outdated provisions and designates the State Treasurer to manage fund disbursements.

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates automatic annual cost-ofiving adjustments (COLAs) for retirement benefits of certain retired police and firefighters in New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). It applies to members who have received retirement benefits for at least 10 years, excluding those who retired with 20-24 years of service, are in deferred retirement, or were hired more than 30 days after the bill's effective date. COLAs will be calculated based on the Consumer Price Index, with a $75,000 annual benefit threshold for the first year (adjusted annually thereafter), and capped at a 1% increase for benefits exceeding this amount. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate funds from the General Fund to cover these adjustments, with the State Treasurer taking over implementation if the Board of Trustees fails to comply within six months. The adjustments apply only to future benefit payments, not retroactively.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4310) allows military law enforcement officers who served in the U.S. Armed Forces or Reserve under honorable conditions to receive credit toward New Jersey's basic police training course requirements when applying for law enforcement jobs in the state. It directly affects veterans transitioning from military law enforcement roles to civilian police positions in New Jersey. The law requires the Police Training Commission to grant exemptions for portions of the training course that match the veteran's prior military training, while still requiring completion of non-equivalent portions. It does not permit full exemption from the entire course, aligning with current law but explicitly expanding the exemption category to include military service.