Sen. Benjie Wimberly

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the FY2025 funding for New Jersey's NJSHARES-S.M.A.R.T. Program by $5 million, raising the total appropriation to $10.5 million. The program provides utility bill assistance to low-income homeowners and tenants facing financial hardship across New Jersey. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) will distribute these funds through grants, with eligibility requiring applicants not to receive similar assistance from private insurance or other programs. The commissioner may partner with nonprofits or public agencies to quickly deliver aid and help residents meet their utility obligations.

Maddy summaryThis bill changes which school district is financially responsible for educating homeless students in New Jersey. Currently, the district where a student's parent or guardian lived before becoming homeless pays for their education. Under S 4215, that "last residence" district remains responsible for the current school year, but starting in the next school year, the district where the student is actually attending school becomes responsible for all educational costs. This applies to students temporarily displaced due to homelessness, including those staying in shelters or transitional housing. The bill ensures funding follows the student's actual school placement after the first year.

Maddy summaryThis bill exempts union-represented workers in the ready-mix concrete industry from New Jersey's earned sick leave law. Specifically, it amends the definition of "employee" under the 2018 sick leave law to exclude workers performing services in the ready-mix concrete industry who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement. The change directly affects construction workers in this specific sector who already have union-negotiated leave benefits. The law remains unchanged for all other workers, including those in other construction trades or non-union settings.

Maddy summaryS 4211 requires law enforcement officers to knock on a residence door, clearly announce their identity and purpose, and wait at least 30 seconds before entering for an arrest or search, unless exigent circumstances exist. It prohibits the issuance and execution of "no-knock" warrants for residential entries, mandating that all such warrants include these entry requirements. The bill also amends New Jersey's use-of-force law to require officers to follow these procedures when executing warrants at residences. This policy change directly affects police operations during home entries and impacts the safety of residents during warrant executions.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey employers to allow employees with qualifying menstrual conditions to work remotely at least two full days per month. It covers specific conditions like endometriosis, uterine fibroids, and severe menstrual symptoms that cause discomfort but do not prevent performing job duties. Employers may request medical documentation to verify eligibility and cannot penalize employees for requesting remote work. Employers must prove any remote work request would cause undue hardship or prevent essential job performance, with violations subject to civil penalties up to $10,000.

Maddy summaryThis bill repeals exemptions that previously allowed new apartment buildings to avoid rent control during their initial mortgage period. It requires new construction to comply with municipal rent control and rent leveling ordinances from the start, rather than after a set period. Landlords of new residential developments and their tenants will be directly affected, as rent limits will apply immediately upon occupancy instead of after the mortgage period. The key change removes the existing exemption in state law (P.L.1987, c.153), applying to projects with development applications submitted after the bill's effective date. This creates a more immediate rent control framework for new housing in participating municipalities.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes the "Minority-Serving State College and University Stabilization Program" within New Jersey's Office of Higher Education, appropriating $20 million to support eligible institutions. It directly affects public colleges/universities where at least 50% of undergraduate students are racial/ethnic minorities and that have experienced a 10% decline in full-time enrollment plus faculty/staff reductions over two years. Institutions must submit a detailed stabilization plan (including enrollment strategies, staff restoration, and community input) to receive grants, with funds requiring quarterly progress reports and strict spending aligned to approved plans. Unspent funds at year-end will be distributed per student across all qualifying schools.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Attorney General to create an online portal where law enforcement officers must report misconduct by colleagues within 72 hours. Officers must report witnessed unjustifiable use of force, civil rights violations, or criminal offenses by other officers, and may optionally report policy violations that don't rise to criminal level. The portal ensures anonymity by generating random identifiers instead of personal details for reporters. It directly affects all law enforcement officers in New Jersey who observe misconduct during their duties.

Maddy summarySJR 156, "J.B.'s Law," amends New Jersey's Rules of Evidence to prevent creative or artistic expressions (such as music lyrics, rap videos, poetry, or visual art) from being used as evidence in criminal trials. It specifically prohibits audio or video recordings of such works from being admitted into court or used to impeach a defendant, directly affecting criminal defendants whose artistic work has been wrongly presented as evidence. The bill modifies Rules 401, 404(b), and 801 to define "creative or artistic expression" broadly and exclude it from consideration, aiming to stop prejudicial use of such material. This change responds to cases where artistic content, like rap lyrics, was erroneously used to prove criminal intent, rather than focusing on relevant evidence. The law would take effect if adopted by the Supreme Court of New Jersey after the Governor signs the resolution.

Maddy summaryS 4203 creates a publicly accessible online registry of individuals convicted of domestic violence offenses in New Jersey, including their name, aliases, offense details, physical description, photo, vehicle information, and last known address. It mandates that courts order domestic violence offenders to complete professional counseling (6 months for first offense, up to 2 years for repeat offenses) and perform at least one year of community service. The bill also significantly increases fines for domestic violence convictions: $500 for a first offense, $1,000 for a second, and $5,000 for a third or subsequent offense. Offenders can petition for removal from the registry after 2, 7, or 20 years (depending on offense count), but those convicted of homicide, sexual assault, or aggravated assault are ineligible for removal.