Sen. Paul Sarlo

Maddy summaryThis bill allows registered courier services to sell instant lottery tickets electronically to New Jersey residents, requiring them to undergo background checks, display gambling warnings, protect customer data, and not charge fees from winnings. It defines "instant lottery tickets" as physical tickets with revealed symbols (not digital), with couriers storing tickets electronically only with customer consent and providing electronic receipts. The bill also requires the State Lottery Enterprise to contribute additional funds to retirement systems in Fiscal Year 2026 if they are underfunded. These changes aim to regulate courier-based lottery sales while maintaining existing funding for state retirement programs.

Maddy summaryS 4506 exempts minor league baseball players covered by a union-negotiated agreement between Minor League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association from New Jersey's wage and hour laws and recordkeeping requirements. The exemption applies only while the agreement is active and requires the league and union to notify the state labor department within one week of any agreement termination or replacement. This aligns state law with the 2023 agreement, which provides players with salaries, health care, housing, retirement benefits, and other protections that conflict with standard wage laws due to minor league baseball's irregular schedules.

Maddy summaryS 3944 allows New Jersey nonprofit theaters to obtain special alcohol licenses by clarifying that "disregarded entities" (like single-member LLCs treated as part of their parent nonprofit for tax purposes) qualify for these licenses. It applies to art-house movie theaters or performing arts venues with seating capacities of 50-1,000 people (for smaller venues) or 1,000+ people (for larger venues), operated by tax-exempt 501(c)(3) organizations. The license permits alcohol sales during specified times: two hours before, during, and two hours after performances (with a 15-performance annual limit for smaller venues). This change directly affects nonprofit theaters seeking to sell alcohol to support their operations, without counting toward other liquor license limits. The bill clarifies existing law to expand eligibility for these specialized licenses.

Maddy summaryS 4028 limits New Jersey state agencies to withholding no more than two percent of the amount due on each partial payment from contractors on state construction projects, provided the contractor has a performance bond. This rule applies to projects where the state agency owns the property being improved and affects contractors working on state-owned construction projects. If a contractor had a contract terminated for cause within the past five years, the state agency may withhold more than two percent. The bill does not change existing payment deadlines but restricts excessive withholdings on partial payments.

Maddy summaryThis bill authorizes the State Treasurer to grant a 30-year temporary easement for 0.5175 acres of state-owned land at the Sea Girt National Training Center in Monmouth County. The easement will be granted to Confluence Networks LLC for installing a new submarine cable system using existing underground telecom infrastructure. The state will receive a one-time fee of $1,120,230 (based on appraised value) for this temporary use of the property. The bill directly affects the State as the property owner and Confluence Networks LLC as the recipient of the easement.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 4553) authorizes New Jersey's State Treasurer to grant Confluence Networks LLC a 30-year temporary right to use 0.5175 acres of state-owned land at the Sea Girt National Training Center in Monmouth County. The land will be used for installing a new submarine cable system via existing underground telecom infrastructure. The state will receive a one-time fee of $1,120,230, based on the land's appraised value, with terms approved by the State House Commission.

Maddy summaryThis bill adds $142.6 million in supplemental funding to New Jersey's FY2025 state budget, primarily supporting existing state agencies and programs. Key allocations include $75 million for University Hospital capital improvements, $15 million for a community opioid prevention program (requiring naloxone distribution and harm mitigation activities), and $625 million redirected from an existing Health Care Affordability Fund to cover medical coverage for aged, blind, and disabled residents. The bill also specifies that funds for Social Services Programs must support re-entry services for offenders and includes $3.39 million for Supplemental Security Income payments. These provisions directly affect state agencies, healthcare providers, and vulnerable residents receiving these services.

Maddy summaryS 4692 appropriates $247,128,000 from New Jersey's Debt Defeasance and Prevention Fund: $222 million for a new women's correctional facility in Burlington County to replace Edna Mahan Correctional Facility for Women, and $25.1 million for other state capital projects recommended by the New Jersey Commission on Capital Budgeting and Planning. The bill also establishes a process for future fund use, allowing the state to pay off existing debt or fund capital projects without issuing new bonds. It requires the State Treasurer to submit project proposals to the Joint Budget Oversight Committee for quarterly review, with automatic approval for proposals submitted over 45 days before a quarter ends if the committee fails to meet. This directly affects the Department of Corrections, the Department of the Treasury, and the legislative budget oversight process.

Maddy summaryThis bill increases taxes on nicotine products in New Jersey. It raises the cigarette tax from $0.135 to $0.15 per cigarette, the liquid nicotine tax from $0.10 to $0.30 per milliliter, and sets a 30% tax on container e-liquid based on retail price. These changes affect retailers, distributors, and wholesalers selling these products within the state, requiring them to file tax returns and pay the new rates. Revenue from these taxes will fund the Health Care Subsidy Fund. The bill modifies existing tobacco tax laws without changing the fundamental structure of nicotine product taxation.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends the deadline for New Jersey school districts to complete their annual financial audits for the 2024-2025 school year. It delays the audit completion date to January 10 and the filing deadline with the Commissioner of Education to January 15 (from the standard five-month timeline after the school year ends). This is a temporary adjustment specific to the 2024-2025 school year, following similar extensions for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years under prior law. The bill directly affects all public school districts required to submit annual financial audits under state law.