Sen. Nellie Pou

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a 15-member School Safety and Security Task Force in New Jersey to study and recommend improvements for public school safety. The task force includes education officials, security experts, and public members with specialized knowledge, and will examine security practices like entrance screening, emergency response protocols, and accessibility for students with disabilities. It must issue final recommendations to the Governor, Legislature, and State Board of Education within six months of forming. The task force expires after submitting its report, with no direct policy changes enacted by the bill itself.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires new construction or substantial renovations (costing $40,000 or more) of public spaces - such as theaters, libraries, banks, medical waiting areas, and restaurants - to include an assistive listening system that transmits sound directly to hearing aids and cochlear implants with telecoil features. Owners must display visible signage indicating the system's availability and verify its functionality every two years via a self-certification form. Exceptions allow owners to skip installation if a local agency determines it would be impractical, following a formal request. The law applies to spaces regularly open to the public, aiming to improve accessibility for people with hearing loss.

Maddy summaryS 1986 establishes a 7-member School Funding Formula Evaluation Task Force to study New Jersey's current school funding system under the 2008 School Funding Reform Act. The task force, including the Commissioner of Education and six public members with education/finance expertise, will evaluate specific aspects like how school district budgets and local shares are calculated, weighting for at-risk students, special education funding methods, and geographic cost adjustments. It must hold public meetings across the state and issue a final report with recommendations to the Governor and Legislature within one year. This bill creates a procedural mechanism for reviewing the existing funding formula, directly affecting how state school aid is distributed to districts.

Maddy summaryS 320 allows religious corporations in New Jersey to hold member meetings remotely during a state of emergency declared by the Governor, directly affecting religious organizations that typically require in-person gatherings. The bill amends existing law to permit remote meetings if the board of trustees adopts specific guidelines for verification, participation, and voting, treating remote attendees as physically present with full voting rights. Key provisions require religious corporations to implement measures ensuring remote members can participate equally, verify membership, and have votes recorded. This change provides flexibility during emergencies while maintaining procedural safeguards for member engagement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 1316) renames New Jersey's "Division of Purchase and Property" to the "Division of Public Procurement" within the Department of the Treasury. It revises state procurement rules by removing the requirement for contractors to obtain "MacBride principles certification" (a specific anti-discrimination certification related to sexual orientation and gender identity), while maintaining existing equal opportunity and affirmative action program requirements for public works contracts exceeding 15% of a contracting agency's bid threshold. The bill also updates financial statement submission processes for bidders and ownership disclosure rules for contractors. It directly affects state agencies, contractors, and subcontractors involved in public procurement.

Maddy summaryS 1366 requires unlicensed individuals sending text messages to solicit home sales to include three specific disclosures in a separate pre-solicitation message: that they are not licensed by the New Jersey Real Estate Commission, their employer's name, and that the message is a solicitation. This bill directly affects unlicensed real estate solicitors and home owners receiving such texts. Violations carry fines up to $5,000 for first offenses and $10,000 for repeat offenses, enforced by the Division of Consumer Affairs. The Division must also launch a public education campaign to inform both licensees and home owners about the law and how to verify real estate professional licensing.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2128) exempts local utilities from specific reporting requirements related to pandemic impacts. It removes the obligation for entities like municipal sewer, water, or utility authorities (defined as "local utilities") to submit detailed quarterly reports on customer disconnections, arrears, assistance programs, and financial data. The exemption applies to the reporting rules established in P.L.2022, c.107, which previously required these reports during the pandemic response period. This change directly affects local utilities that provide essential services but are not regulated by the Board of Public Utilities. The bill does not alter utility rates or customer service requirements, only the administrative reporting burden.

Maddy summaryS 995 establishes New Jersey's Household Water Assistance Program, appropriating $75 million to help low-income households afford water, sewer, and stormwater services. It directly affects households with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level, those receiving specific benefits (like SNAP, SSI, or veterans' payments), or facing temporary financial hardship. The program prevents service disconnections, covers unpaid bills (arrears), provides water efficiency support, and offers debt relief. It requires coordination with existing assistance programs like the Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program and mandates the Department of Community Affairs to implement the program within eight months of enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes minimum nurse-to-patient staffing ratios for hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, and certain state facilities (including developmental centers and psychiatric hospitals) in New Jersey. It requires specific ratios, such as 1 nurse per 5 medical/surgical patients, 1 per 2 in emergency critical care, and 1 per 1 in burn units. Facilities must implement acuity-based staffing systems that exceed these minimums, considering patient needs and staff skills, while maintaining nurse float pools. The regulations cannot reduce existing staffing levels and apply to all patient units covered by the law.

Maddy summaryS 2137 requires New Jersey's Civil Service Commission to add test questions to entry-level law enforcement exams that identify implicit racial bias in candidates. This applies to all applicants for municipal and county police, correctional officers (adult and juvenile), and sheriff's positions. The bill mandates the Commission, working with testing experts, to include these questions starting four months after enactment. The goal is to assess unconscious biases that could affect officer behavior, as defined in the bill's statement. The change directly affects all new law enforcement hires across New Jersey's public safety agencies.