Sen. Renee Burgess

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits animal rescue organizations, shelters, pounds, and foster homes in New Jersey from denying adoption applications for dogs or cats solely based on the applicant's age. It requires these facilities to update their adoption eligibility criteria to ensure age is not a barrier to adoption. The law applies immediately to all covered adoption centers and mandates they comply with this requirement. The policy change directly affects prospective adopters of dogs and cats who might have previously been rejected due to age alone.

Maddy summaryS 2866 requires New Jersey's Commissioner of Human Services to appoint a State Dementia Services Coordinator with expertise in dementia care. This coordinator will develop a master plan, coordinate existing state services (including the Alzheimer's and Dementia Care Advisory Commission), prevent service duplication, identify gaps, and improve access to quality dementia care for affected individuals and their families. The bill appropriates $150,000 from the General Fund to fund this position and mandates all state departments to cooperate with the coordinator by providing necessary data and assistance. It directly affects people with dementia, caregivers, and state agencies delivering dementia-related services.

Maddy summaryS 946, the NJ Healthy Schools Act, prohibits schools participating in federally funded meal programs (like the National School Lunch Program or School Breakfast Program) from selling or distributing ultraprocessed foods. This applies to all public and nonpublic schools offering daily lunches or breakfasts through these programs. The law directly affects school food environments for students in those settings, banning specific foods like sugary snacks and processed meals. It creates a concrete policy change by requiring schools to remove ultraprocessed foods from their meal offerings.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates the New Jersey Low Income Household Water Assistance Program to help eligible households pay water bills and prevent service disconnections. It directly affects low-income households earning at or below 60% of New Jersey’s median income, providing financial assistance for water service costs, debt relief on past bills, and support to prevent disconnections. Key mechanisms include direct grants to water systems for household assistance, short-term support for non-public water systems, and coordination with existing energy assistance programs. The program is funded with $25 million in state appropriations and aims to make water service affordable while tracking performance metrics by location.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes new licensing and operational standards for residential mental health treatment facilities in New Jersey. It requires these facilities to provide comprehensive 24/7 care consistent with medical guidelines, prohibits retrospective medical necessity reviews, and mandates licensing from the Commissioner of Health. The bill directly affects facilities offering residential mental health care (excluding hospital-based programs or substance use facilities) and the patients they serve. Key provisions include mandatory licensing, location restrictions (banning co-location with substance use facilities), and requiring the commissioner to adopt minimum care standards within 90 days.

Maddy summaryThis bill would create a statewide registry for individuals convicted of animal cruelty offenses in New Jersey. Registered offenders would be prohibited from purchasing, adopting, or breeding animals. The registry, maintained by the Attorney General, would publicly disclose information about these offenders to help residents protect themselves and their pets. It applies to anyone convicted under specific animal cruelty statutes (e.g., R.S. 4:22-17 to 24) or related civil offenses.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's Child Advocacy Center-Multidisciplinary Team Advisory Board from 14 to 17 members and creates a new "Problematic Sexual Behavior Program" to address youth-related sexual behaviors. It establishes an annual progress review program for child advocacy centers and multidisciplinary teams to maintain funding eligibility, requiring compliance with National Children's Alliance standards. The program specifically defines "problematic sexual behavior" to include developmentally inappropriate actions by youth under 18, such as sexting or exposure to explicit content. The expanded board will include specialized professionals like psychologists, pediatricians, and care coordinators to oversee these initiatives. The bill directly affects child advocacy centers, multidisciplinary teams, and youth with problematic sexual behaviors in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey Senate resolution (SR 50) urges Congress to pass the federal "Black Maternal Health Momnibus Act," a legislative package of 13 bills. The resolution highlights that Black women in the U.S. are three times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women, with maternal mortality rates remaining highest among Black mothers. The Momnibus Act would allocate over $1 billion to address racial disparities by funding support for basic needs (like housing and transportation), expanding mental health and substance use services, improving data collection, and increasing access to care through telehealth. The resolution does not create new law but calls for federal action to reduce preventable maternal deaths.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases New Jersey's Work First New Jersey Child Care subsidy program funding by $28 million in the FY2026 budget, raising the appropriation from $565.8 million to $593.8 million. It directly affects lower-income families who rely on state child care subsidies to cover expenses, reversing a recent pause in new applications and increased family copayments. The key provision requires the state to resume accepting new applications and return to pre-August 1, 2025 copayment rates (2-6% of income), restoring the program to its prior operational status. This addresses a projected $25-$30 million shortfall that had forced the Department of Human Services to limit enrollment and raise costs for families.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 604 prohibits state pension and annuity funds from investing in the 200 largest publicly traded fossil fuel companies, ranked by carbon content in their oil, gas, and coal reserves. It requires full divestment from these companies within one year (two years for coal companies), with exceptions allowing temporary reinvestment if fund values drop below 99.5% of their hypothetical value without divestment. The bill mandates annual reports tracking divestment progress and compliance to the Governor, Legislature, and Attorney General. This policy directly affects the state's $100+ billion pension funds and their investment decisions regarding fossil fuel holdings.