Sen. Tony Bucco

Maddy summaryThis bill increases Medicaid reimbursement rates for residential behavioral health services to at least 100% of the Medicare rate, starting July 1, 2024. It also requires annual cost-of-living adjustments for residential behavioral health providers based on the Consumer Price Index and creates a new fund to provide grants for facility repairs, maintenance, and provider training. These changes directly affect residential behavioral health service providers who receive Medicaid payments and the Department of Human Services, which administers the program. The bill aims to improve access to and quality of behavioral health care by strengthening financial support for providers.

Maddy summaryS 3603 protects New Jersey employees and job applicants from employment discrimination due to the legal use of cannabis. It prohibits employers from refusing to hire, firing, or taking adverse actions based solely on cannabis use, but allows drug testing for reasonable suspicion of impairment during work, visible intoxication, or after a work accident. Employers may use scientifically reliable testing methods (like blood, urine, or saliva) and require a physical evaluation by a certified expert to assess impairment, though pre-employment cannabis testing is banned. The bill also establishes certification standards for workplace experts who help detect impairment, but employers are not required to use these experts.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes an annual four-day sales tax holiday in New Jersey for physical goods purchased between 12:01 a.m. on the Friday after Thanksgiving and 11:59 p.m. on the following Monday. It exempts retail sales of tangible personal property (physical goods) from the state sales tax during this period, directly affecting shoppers and retailers participating in the holiday shopping window. The key provision creates a fixed annual exemption period covering traditional holiday shopping days like Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday. The tax holiday applies automatically without requiring additional approvals during the specified dates each year.

Maddy summaryS 3551 would amend New Jersey's gross income tax law to allow employees of public schools and federal tax-exempt organizations (such as hospitals, churches, and social service groups) to exclude their retirement savings contributions from current taxable income. Currently, New Jersey permits this tax deferral for employees of private businesses but not for these specific retirement plans used by tax-exempt organizations. The bill extends the same tax treatment to these employees by aligning New Jersey's rules with federal tax code provisions for retirement savings. This change would take effect for taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides a temporary tax break for eligible food and beverage businesses in New Jersey. It allows qualifying establishments - such as sit-down restaurants (excluding fast food), breweries/wineries/distilleries, and mobile food trucks/carts - to deduct up to the amount of sales tax collected on the first $70,000 of taxable sales per location each month during a four-month relief period. Businesses can claim this deduction for up to five locations or vehicles, but must retain the collected tax amounts they deduct. The relief period begins two months after the bill’s enactment and ends five months after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public school districts (K-12) to adopt suicide prevention policies covering proactive measures, immediate response to suicidal behavior, and support after suicide attempts or deaths. The New Jersey Department of Education must create a model policy to guide school boards, which must consult with mental health professionals and community stakeholders when developing their local policies. The policy must address prevention (identifying risks and resources), intervention (immediate response protocols), and postvention (support after incidents), while recognizing high-risk student groups. School boards must post the policy online and notify students, parents, and guardians of its availability.

Maddy summaryS 3604 exempts specific workers and organizations from New Jersey's Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights. The bill adds exemptions for family members, house sitters, pet sitters, dog walkers, home-based business workers (like day-care providers), home repair contractors, state employees, kinship guardians, licensed health aides, and home care agencies when using licensed workers. This means these excluded groups are no longer covered by the bill's labor standards, such as minimum wage, overtime, and anti-discrimination protections. The bill does not affect protections for other domestic workers who remain subject to the law.

Maddy summaryS 3619 (Sponsored by Sen. Anthony Bucco) adds two alternate voting members to New Jersey's county agriculture development boards. Currently, these boards have seven voting members (four farmers and three public representatives) plus three non-voting members. The bill specifies that one alternate must be actively engaged in farming (to replace a farming member) and one must represent the general public (to replace a public member), with alternates only voting when a regular member is absent or disqualified. This change ensures board continuity during meetings without delaying votes, directly affecting all 21 New Jersey counties operating such boards.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides free license renewals for professionals (like doctors or lawyers) and small retail businesses operating in areas disrupted by active highway construction projects. Businesses and professionals affected by reduced traffic or access due to highway work can apply for a fee waiver during the project's active period. To qualify, they must prove significant income loss from the construction and submit required documentation. The waiver covers renewal fees for licenses regulated under Title 45 or the Division of Revenue, ending when the highway project concludes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3595) excludes minimum required distributions (RMDs) from qualified retirement plans from New Jersey's gross income tax. It directly affects New Jersey residents aged 72 or older who must take annual RMDs from retirement accounts under federal law (as defined in 26 U.S.C. §4974). The bill removes state income tax on these mandatory withdrawals, which are currently taxed by both federal and state governments. The change applies to taxable years beginning after the bill's enactment.