Sen. Nellie Pou

Maddy summaryThis bill extends New Jersey's telemedicine pay parity requirement through December 31, 2025. It requires health insurance plans in New Jersey to pay telemedicine providers the same rate as in-person visits for covered services, ensuring equal reimbursement. The extension applies to all health benefits plans, including Medicaid and private insurers, covering services delivered via video or audio telehealth. Exceptions remain for audio-only visits (at 50% of in-person rates) and services not offered in-person by the provider.

Maddy summaryThis New Jersey bill (S 3927) prohibits real estate appraisers from considering protected characteristics like race, religion, gender identity, or national origin when valuing properties. It establishes penalties for discriminatory appraisals, including restitution for affected parties, mandatory anti-bias training, and escalating fines up to $50,000 for repeat violations. The bill requires real estate professionals to provide free information about reporting discriminatory appraisals to the Division on Civil Rights within three days of key interactions, such as mortgage applications or property sales. Additionally, it mandates that the Division on Civil Rights collect and report demographic data from complainants to the Governor and Legislature by July 2026. The bill directly affects licensed appraisers, real estate brokers, and mortgage professionals in New Jersey.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey's affordable housing voucher program to cover homeownership costs, allowing low-income households to use state vouchers for down payments or monthly mortgage assistance instead of just rent. It specifically reserves funds for seniors aged 62+, veterans who completed the "Veterans Haven" program, and families participating in a self-sufficiency initiative. The program also creates a Home Repair Emergency Assistance Fund to cover necessary home repairs for participants. This change, now law as P.L.2024, c.98, directly affects eligible residents seeking homeownership support through the state's rental assistance framework.

Maddy summaryThis bill expands New Jersey optometrists' scope of practice to include prescribing pharmaceutical agents (including controlled substances for eye conditions), administering immunizations for coronavirus, flu, and shingles (for patients 18+), and performing minor procedures like removing superficial foreign bodies, treating chalazions, and simple ophthalmologic treatments (e.g., trabeculoplasty) using topical anesthesia. It explicitly prohibits invasive eye surgery, orbital procedures, or general anesthesia. The law requires optometrists to report administered immunizations to the state's immunization registry and mandates they follow CDC guidelines for vaccine administration. This directly affects optometrists by broadening their clinical capabilities and patients by increasing access to certain eye care services within defined limits.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases the portion of rental payments that New Jersey renters can count toward property tax deductions from 18% to 30% of rent paid for a unit used as their primary residence. It also raises the maximum property tax credit amount from $50 to $250 for eligible seniors (65+), blind, or disabled taxpayers who pay property taxes or qualifying rent. The change applies to residential rental properties, including manufactured homes in mobile home parks, and affects renters who use their housing as their principal residence. The bill amends existing tax code provisions to adjust these specific deduction and credit thresholds.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 900) changes New Jersey's unemployment benefits law to exempt wages paid to poll workers from being counted when calculating eligibility and benefit amounts. Specifically, it amends the definition of "average annual payroll" to exclude poll workers' wages, ensuring their temporary election-related earnings don't reduce their unemployment benefits. This directly affects poll workers who serve during elections and may later qualify for unemployment benefits. The change modifies how the state calculates payroll data for unemployment purposes, without altering other eligibility rules.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Labor to provide funding and training to county prosecutors for investigating and prosecuting wage theft cases. It mandates each county prosecutor's office to assign a dedicated assistant prosecutor to handle violations of state wage laws and the specific provision about unpaid wages (P.L.1999, c.90). The bill appropriates up to $2 million from the General Fund to cover these enforcement costs. It directly affects county prosecutors' offices and workers who face unpaid wages or wage law violations.

Maddy summaryThis resolution designates the third Sunday of November each year as "World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims" in New Jersey. It does not create new laws or policies but formally recognizes an existing international observance to honor victims of traffic incidents and acknowledge emergency responders. The resolution requests the Governor issue an annual proclamation encouraging public observance through appropriate activities. It directly affects all New Jersey residents by establishing a state-level observance date, aligning with the United Nations and U.S. Department of Transportation's recognition of this day. The bill passed unanimously in the Assembly and was approved as P.L.2024, JR-3.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires healthcare providers to help pregnant patients create personalized postpartum care plans during prenatal visits. It mandates that plans include specific elements like care team contacts, breastfeeding guidance, mental health support for postpartum depression, and management strategies for physical complications. Hospitals must also provide standardized discharge information covering warning signs of postpartum complications (such as severe bleeding, high blood pressure, and infection) before patients leave after childbirth, pregnancy loss, or stillbirth. The law directly affects pregnant people in New Jersey receiving maternity care, aiming to address preventable maternal health issues and reduce disparities in maternal mortality rates.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires contractors and subcontractors working on public projects covered by New Jersey's prevailing wage law to hold a mandatory orientation meeting for each new employee on their first day of work. The meeting must explain the employee's wages and job classification under the prevailing wage law, and the employee must sign a form confirming they received the information. Contractors must retain these signed forms for at least five years and provide them to the Department of Labor upon request. The law aims to ensure new employees understand their wage rights from the start of their employment.