Sen. Britnee Timberlake

Maddy summaryThis bill increases funding for New Jersey's Work First New Jersey Child Care subsidy program by $28 million in the FY2026 budget, raising its total appropriation to $593.8 million. It directly affects lower-income families who rely on state child care subsidies to cover expenses for their children. The bill reverses policies implemented on August 1, 2025, by requiring the state to restart accepting new applications and return to pre-August 2025 family copayment rates (2-6% of income), which had been raised due to a funding shortfall. This change ensures the program operates fully without pausing new enrollments or increasing costs for eligible families.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the time teachers can be away from service while maintaining membership in New Jersey's Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF). It increases the standard discontinuance period from two to seven years, and extends the return-to-service window to 25 years for teachers who were laid off or voluntarily left with 10 or more years of service. Teachers returning within these extended timeframes will be re-enrolled in the TPAF at their previous tier with no additional contributions required. The changes apply to all current and future TPAF members who meet the specified conditions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all New Jersey public school districts to include instruction about the history and contributions of Latino and Hispanic Americans in Social Studies and English Language Arts curricula for students in kindergarten through 12th grade. It mandates that school boards integrate this content as part of their existing implementation of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards. The Commissioner of Education must provide sample lesson resources and activities to support schools, developed with input from the Commission on Latino and Hispanic Heritage. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a "Summer Termination Program" that prevents utility companies (including local authorities, municipal utilities, rural electric cooperatives, and public utilities) from disconnecting electricity, water, or sewer service to eligible residential customers during extreme heat. It triggers when a 72-hour forecast predicts temperatures reaching or exceeding 85°F for at least 24 hours. Eligible customers include those receiving assistance under the existing Winter Termination Program or those unable to pay bills due to hardships like unemployment, illness, or family emergencies. The program requires the Department of Community Affairs and the Board of Public Utilities to establish self-certification processes for customers to claim financial hardship.

Maddy summarySJR 154 directs New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to investigate PJM Interconnection's capacity market pricing model to determine if it ensures reliable electricity at the lowest cost, requiring a report within 12 months. It also mandates the state to collaborate with neighboring PJM states to promote affordable energy practices, urge PJM to implement market reforms protecting ratepayers from rising prices, and accelerate reviews of new power generation projects. The resolution addresses concerns about increasing electricity costs for New Jersey customers, linked to PJM's current pricing structure and delays in new energy resources entering the grid. This action aims to align PJM's operations with New Jersey's energy affordability goals under the Electric Discount and Energy Competition Act.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's electric public utilities (and their affiliates) to submit an annual report by February 1st to the Board of Public Utilities (BPU). The report must list every recorded vote cast by the utility or its affiliates at PJM Interconnection meetings (including votes not publicly disclosed by PJM), describe the meeting context, and explain how each vote supports New Jersey's energy goals of affordability, reliability, and sustainability. The BPU must then summarize these reports for the Governor and Legislature. This aims to increase transparency about how utilities influence regional electricity decisions using ratepayer funds.

Maddy summaryThis bill updates notification requirements for New Jersey's "Energy Bill Watch" program, which affects residential customers using smart meters for electricity or gas. It clarifies that utilities must notify these customers on the 10th and 20th days of each billing cycle via text or email (with email as backup if phone numbers are unavailable), showing both usage cost in dollars and consumption in kilowatt hours or therms. Notifications must now reflect data up to two days before sending, and customers gain options to set spending thresholds or compare current usage to prior cycles. The bill ensures utilities automatically enroll smart meter customers while providing clear opt-out instructions and advertising the program through multiple channels like websites and bills.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities (BPU) to study how data centers impact electricity rates for residential customers. The BPU must determine if non-data center customers unfairly subsidize data center costs, whether infrastructure for data centers causes unreasonable rate hikes, and project the future portion of residential rates attributable to data centers over the next 20 years. The study will also evaluate policy options to prevent rate increases from data center growth. The BPU must complete the study within one year and submit a report to the governor and legislature within 15 months.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 2.5% annual limit on rent increases for tenants living in modular or manufactured homes used as their primary residence. It directly affects renters in these specific housing types, excluding owner-occupied properties with three or fewer units and affordable housing units with income restrictions. Landlords cannot raise rents more than 2.5% over any 12-month period for covered units, and violations require reverting to the previous rent amount. The law supplements existing rent protections but does not override stricter local rent control ordinances.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4532) updates New Jersey's "Energy Bill Watch" program, which affects residential customers using smart meters for electricity or gas. It requires utilities to notify these customers on the 10th and 20th days of each billing cycle about their usage costs (in dollars) and consumption (in kilowatt hours or therms) up to two days prior to notification. Customers can choose text or email alerts and set usage thresholds for additional alerts. Utilities must automatically enroll smart meter customers but provide clear opt-out options and program details through multiple channels like email, social media, and billing statements.