Sen. Britnee Timberlake

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 1096 provides temporary financial relief for homeowners and renters during the pandemic emergency. It requires lenders to grant up to 180 days of mortgage payment suspension (in 90-day increments) without needing proof of hardship, and extends repayment periods by the suspension length. Similarly, landlords must suspend rent payments for residential tenants and small business commercial tenants for up to 180 days (90 days at a time), with no fees or penalties for suspended payments, and must provide written notice of when payments resume. The law also bans foreclosures and evictions for 90 days after the emergency ends and mandates that the state department inform property owners about the program and connect them with housing counseling resources.

Maddy summaryS 1082 amends New Jersey's child abuse reporting law to require the Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) hotline to provide callers with information about available resources for victims of abuse and their families. The bill directly affects individuals contacting the hotline by adding access to community services like counseling, parenting programs, substance abuse treatment, and foster care options. It modifies existing hotline requirements (P.L.1971, c.437) to mandate this resource information alongside emergency reporting. The change ensures families receive immediate guidance to connect with support services during critical moments.

Maddy summaryS 1084 shortens the timeframe municipalities must wait before deeming certain abandoned property as abandoned, reducing it from six to three months. This affects property owners, municipalities, and tax certificate purchasers by accelerating the process for rehabilitating vacant or neglected buildings. Key provisions require property owners to submit rehabilitation plans within three months (down from six) or face municipal takeover, and mandate municipalities to provide notice of abandonment criteria before seeking possession. The bill also adjusts requirements for tax certificate holders seeking to foreclose on properties meeting abandonment criteria. These changes aim to speed up the rehabilitation of derelict properties while maintaining legal safeguards for property owners.

Maddy summaryS 1107 requires New Jersey employers with 10 or more employees to include specific compensation and benefits details in all job postings, directly affecting job seekers and hiring entities. Employers must disclose the salary or wage range (minimum and maximum), supplemental pay, benefits (like health care, dental, and paid leave), and retirement plans offered. This applies to all job postings on employer-owned or third-party platforms, including online job boards. Violations carry escalating civil penalties, starting at $1,000 for the first offense and up to $10,000 for repeated failures, enforced by the state Labor Commissioner.

Maddy summaryThis bill creates a statewide 24/7 toll-free mental health hotline in New Jersey for non-emergency mental health concerns. It requires the Human Services Commissioner to staff the hotline with licensed professionals (including multilingual staff) who connect callers to local resources, with a specific "warm hand-off" to the Suicide Prevention Hopeline for any call indicating suicide risk. The hotline must operate separately from existing hotlines, include public awareness campaigns targeting youth, and comply with privacy laws while tracking anonymized data to improve services. It directly affects residents seeking mental health support and ensures coordinated access to community-based care.

Maddy summaryThis bill provides reimbursement for the first six months of COBRA health insurance costs to survivors of public safety employees who died while on duty or within 24 hours of duty. It directly affects spouses and unmarried children of eligible employees, including police officers, firefighters, correctional officers, and emergency responders, who were covered under the State Health Benefits Program or their employer’s health plan until the employee’s death. Survivors must apply to the State Treasurer by March 1 each year for reimbursement of COBRA costs from the previous calendar year. The bill appropriates $750,000 from the General Fund for this purpose, with payments prorated if funding falls short of demand.

Maddy summarySJR 35 designates October of each year as "Domestic Violence Awareness Month" in New Jersey. The bill requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation encouraging public officials and citizens to observe the month with awareness activities. It does not create new laws or provide funding, but formally recognizes the issue through state-level acknowledgment. This resolution directly affects New Jersey residents by establishing an annual state observance focused on domestic violence prevention and education.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey counties and municipalities to dedicate at least 50% of cash payments exceeding $100,000 from community benefit agreements toward affordable housing. Community benefit agreements are binding deals where developers pay local governments for project approvals, often in exchange for community resources. The bill mandates that half or more of these large payments must fund the creation or rehabilitation of low- or moderate-income housing, as defined by existing law. It applies to all such agreements entered into after the bill’s effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill, S 1104 ("New Jerseyans’ Right to Monitor Act"), grants New Jersey residents the right to record law enforcement officers performing their duties in public, provided they are not under arrest or in custody. It protects the recorder’s right to maintain custody of the recording and any equipment used, while prohibiting officers from interfering with this right (e.g., by threatening, seizing devices, or arresting someone solely for recording). Violations allow affected individuals to sue for damages, attorney fees, or injunctions, with officers able to defend against lawsuits if they had probable cause to arrest the recorder for obstruction. The law explicitly states it does not override existing constitutional or federal rights.

Maddy summaryS 1105 requires law enforcement officers who respond to a death scene to stay at the location until a medical examiner or their designated representative takes charge of the body. This applies to all deaths that require a medical examiner's investigation, such as suspicious deaths, accidents, deaths in custody, or deaths of children. The bill adds a specific procedural requirement for officers to remain on scene until the handoff occurs, without changing which deaths trigger a medical examiner review. The bill was introduced in the New Jersey Senate on January 9, 2024, and referred to the Law and Public Safety Committee.