Maddy summaryS 2599 requires companies, research facilities, and institutions using cats, dogs, or ferrets for product testing, research, or educational purposes in New Jersey to assess each animal for adoption suitability after testing ends and offer it to rescue organizations or private individuals if suitable. These entities must register with the state health department, report animal details (like type, number, and adoption status), and document efforts to place animals for adoption. Noncompliance results in civil penalties of up to $50,000 for repeated violations, with a third offense potentially leading to a court-ordered ban on animal testing. The bill establishes clear reporting procedures and enforcement mechanisms to ensure animals used in testing have adoption opportunities.
Sponsored bills
Maddy summaryThis bill requires Administrative Law Judges (ALJs) in New Jersey's Office of Administrative Law to enroll in the Workers Compensation Judges Part of the Public Employees' Retirement System (PERS), removing them from an existing exclusion. Currently, ALJs are excluded from this retirement system under state law, but the bill amends Section 2(a)(2) of P.L. 2007, c.92 to include them. The change directly affects ALJs who serve in the Office of Administrative Law within the Department of State. It does not alter retirement benefits or create new provisions - only updates their mandatory enrollment status in the existing PERS framework.
Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's court system to track and publish annual statistics on consumer debt lawsuits, including new filings by court division, pending cases over three months, whether defendants have lawyers, and case outcomes like judgments or dismissals. It directly affects courts (which must collect the data), consumers facing these lawsuits, and lawmakers (who receive the reports). The statistics will cover all key metrics listed in the bill, such as default judgments and case dispositions, to provide transparency about a civil case type currently not tracked separately in court reports. This creates a standardized data source to help understand patterns in debt collection litigation.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits anyone developing or deploying an AI system in New Jersey from advertising or claiming the system can act as a licensed mental health professional. It directly affects AI developers and companies that deploy mental health-related AI tools in the state. The law defines "licensed mental health professional" broadly to include all state-licensed practitioners (like therapists, counselors, and psychologists) and specifies that AI systems cannot be marketed as providing such services. Violations would be treated as consumer fraud under state law, potentially resulting in fines up to $20,000 per offense. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Commerce Committee.
Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey's Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) from demolishing or requiring removal of cabins or similar structures in tidal wetlands within Lower Alloways Creek Township, Salem County, when those structures serve as general-use waystations for anyone needing temporary shelter. It specifically exempts cabins on state-acquired land prior to construction, illegally built cabins, or state-built cabins. The bill also grants the state immunity from liability for property damage or injuries related to these structures, adding to existing legal protections. The measure responds to a DEP order to remove eight historic cabins that have provided decades of shelter and hold local historical value.
Maddy summaryS 1982, the "Fentanyl and Xylazine Poisoning Awareness Act," requires New Jersey public school districts to include age-appropriate instruction on the dangers of fentanyl and xylazine in health and physical education curricula for students in grades 6-12. The bill mandates teaching about prevention, symptoms of poisoning, emergency response, and legal protections for seeking help, using resources from federal agencies like the CDC and DEA. School districts must provide this instruction as part of existing health standards, and the state education department must post related materials online for staff, students, and parents. The bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, after being approved as P.L.2025, c.278, and is no longer active.
Maddy summaryS 803 creates a program for New Jersey to acquire development easements on privately-owned woodlands, permanently restricting future development to protect land for farming, forestry, and conservation. Woodlands must be at least 20 acres, used for agriculture or forestry production, and managed under approved stewardship plans to qualify. The program will use existing farmland preservation funds and coordinate with federal agencies to access additional support, such as the federal Forest Legacy Program. Landowners who sell these easements retain ownership but lose development rights, with restrictions recorded to last indefinitely.
Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2649) would have allowed municipalities, counties, school districts, and fire districts in New Jersey to use project labor agreements (PLAs) for public works projects costing less than $5 million. Currently, PLAs could only be required for projects meeting or exceeding this $5 million threshold under existing law (P.L.2002, c.44). The bill amended the law to permit local entities to voluntarily adopt PLAs for smaller projects, expanding their flexibility in labor negotiations. The bill was withdrawn on January 13, 2026, as the policy change was already enacted through another bill (P.L.2025, c.327).
Maddy summaryThis bill lowers the minimum uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage required for transportation network company drivers (like Uber or Lyft drivers) and their companies when providing rides. It reduces the current $1.5 million coverage limit to $25,000 per person for injury/death (increasing to $35,000 after 2026), $50,000 total for multiple people (increasing to $70,000 after 2026), and $25,000 for property damage. The change applies to insurance plans issued or renewed on or after January 1, 2023, with gradual increases over time. This directly affects drivers and companies using personal vehicles for ride services in New Jersey.
Maddy summaryS 751 transfers responsibility for inspecting on-farm dairy processing operations from the Department of Health (DOH) to the Department of Agriculture (DOA). It requires DOA to collaborate with DOH and local health boards for inspections and transfers all related records, equipment, and DOH employees who conduct these inspections to DOA. The bill does not change inspection standards or requirements for dairy processors but reorganizes oversight authority and resources between state agencies. This is a procedural transfer affecting agency operations, not a new policy for dairy businesses.