Sen. Benjie Wimberly

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's executive county superintendents to distribute up to $500,000 in state funds to each public school district in their county for purchasing tourniquets. It mandates that schools place tourniquets in unlocked, clearly marked locations accessible during school hours and school-sponsored events. The bill also requires annual training for school nurses, safety officers, and teaching staff on tourniquet use and bleeding control techniques, which districts may deliver through partnerships with law enforcement or medical services. Schools must submit annual compliance reports to county superintendents. The law applies directly to all public school districts and their designated staff.

Maddy summaryNew Jersey's S 4538 requires school districts serving grades 4-12 to hold an annual, multi-day (3-5 days) bullying prevention program for all students. The program must cover six specific topics: bullying awareness, cyberbullying prevention, bystander intervention, empathy/inclusivity, peer relationships, and other district-approved content. School staff must also receive separate training as part of this program, which can satisfy existing training requirements. Districts unable to fund the program may apply for grants from the new Bullying Prevention Fund, and non-compliance risks withholding state aid. The law takes effect immediately for the first full school year after enactment.

Maddy summaryS 4539 requires New Jersey's State Police Superintendent to create a policy within six months that prioritizes recruiting women and minorities as civilian instructors and contractors at the State Police Academy. The policy must be reviewed annually and updated as needed to diversify the instructors training new recruits. The Superintendent must submit annual reports detailing the age, gender, race, and ethnicity of all civilian instructors/contractors and summarizing policy updates. This bill directly affects the composition of the State Police Academy's civilian teaching staff and the diversity of instruction received by police recruits.

Maddy summaryThis bill prohibits New Jersey landlords from charging tenants more than $5 per month for online rent payments (e.g., credit/debit card or digital transfers). Landlords must cover any fees exceeding $5 or reimburse tenants within 10 days, and provide itemized receipts confirming compliance. It directly affects renters - especially fixed-income tenants - who pay rent digitally, preventing additional financial strain from "convenience fees." Violations carry $1,000 penalties per offense and allow tenants to sue for reimbursement plus legal fees.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends a three-year pilot program for barbering licensure in four New Jersey cities (Elizabeth, Passaic, Paterson, and Perth Amboy) for an additional three years. It allows individuals who previously provided barbering services in another state or country (including places that don’t issue barbering licenses) to obtain a provisional permit to work while awaiting full licensure. The permit is valid for 120 days with possible extension if the license application remains pending, requiring applicants to work under a licensed barber in New Jersey and have at least three years of experience in a licensed shop. The program aims to streamline licensure for immigrant barbering professionals in these designated cities.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires the State Parole Board to automatically review parolees sentenced to life imprisonment who are currently on parole after they have served at least seven years of parole supervision and maintained advanced supervision status for the previous two years. The review, to be completed within 60 days of the bill's effective date, will determine if these individuals should be discharged from parole (no longer under supervision) based on existing criteria like satisfactory adjustment and payment of fines or restitution. Currently, such reviews only occur if a parole officer recommends them, but this bill mandates the Board to initiate the review for all eligible cases without relying on officer recommendations. This change ensures eligible parolees are proactively considered for parole discharge under standardized, timely procedures.

Maddy summaryThis Senate Resolution (SR 131) is a ceremonial tribute honoring the late Congressman William J. Pascrell, Jr., who dedicated 36 years to public service in New Jersey, including founding the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force. It recognizes his leadership in advancing national policy and research for traumatic and acquired brain injuries (TBI/ABI), which impact thousands of New Jersey residents. The resolution formally urges all New Jersey members of Congress to join and actively support the bipartisan Brain Injury Task Force to continue Pascrell’s advocacy for research, treatment, and rehabilitation services. As a symbolic gesture with no new policy or funding, it commemorates Pascrell’s legacy rather than creating legislative changes.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4481) requires New Jersey's electric and gas public utilities to reset their rates to levels from any point in 2020 for a five-year period. Utilities must file new rate schedules reflecting those 2020 rates with the Board of Public Utilities (BPU), which must approve them within 30 days. The approved rates would then remain in effect until 2030, preventing further increases during that time. This directly affects all households and businesses that pay for electricity and gas in New Jersey by stabilizing their utility costs at pre-2020 levels.

Maddy summaryS 4479 requires New Jersey's Board of Public Utilities to prohibit electric and gas companies from charging residential customers extra fees when their actual energy use exceeds estimates under equal payment plans (which average yearly usage into monthly bills). It also bans companies from billing customers for the difference between estimated and actual usage (a practice known as underbilling) and prevents them from adding unpaid balances from such differences to future bills. Utilities must adjust monthly payments only once a year, based solely on a customer's actual energy use, rather than making mid-year changes. This bill aims to create more predictable and stable billing for New Jersey households.

Maddy summaryThis bill reinstates automatic annual cost-ofiving adjustments (COLAs) for retirement benefits of certain retired police and firefighters in New Jersey's Police and Firemen's Retirement System (PFRS). It applies to members who have received retirement benefits for at least 10 years, excluding those who retired with 20-24 years of service, are in deferred retirement, or were hired more than 30 days after the bill's effective date. COLAs will be calculated based on the Consumer Price Index, with a $75,000 annual benefit threshold for the first year (adjusted annually thereafter), and capped at a 1% increase for benefits exceeding this amount. The bill requires the Legislature to appropriate funds from the General Fund to cover these adjustments, with the State Treasurer taking over implementation if the Board of Trustees fails to comply within six months. The adjustments apply only to future benefit payments, not retroactively.