Sen. Gordon Johnson

Maddy summaryThis bill modifies New Jersey's requirements for condominium and cooperative associations managing residential buildings three stories or taller. It expands the timeframe for associations to conduct required capital reserve studies (from five years to one year for existing associations) and mandates these studies be updated every five years. The studies must assess funds for maintaining structural integrity, including costs for repairs, inspections, and a 30-year funding plan. Associations managing buildings with less than $25,000 in common area assets are exempt from these requirements.

Maddy summaryThis bill makes it a crime to possess or create hidden compartments in vehicles with the intent to conceal illegal items like drugs, weapons, or people. Vehicle owners who knowingly use such compartments (third-degree crime: 3-5 years jail) or design/build them (second-degree crime: 5-10 years jail) face penalties. The law defines "false compartments" broadly - including modified fuel tanks or added spaces - and allows police to seize the vehicle and its contents if contraband is found inside. It also requires separate sentences for this offense plus any other related crimes, with no defense if the compartment was inoperable or known to police.

Maddy summaryS 2760 extends New Jersey's existing affordable housing preference for veterans to certain South Korean veterans who served as allies with U.S. forces in the Vietnam conflict. It amends state law to include South Korean veterans meeting specific criteria: they must be New Jersey residents/citizens, have served in Vietnam as U.S. allies, and hold a service-connected disability certification from South Korea. This adds them to the existing priority system for affordable housing, placing them behind homeless veterans (1st priority) and disabled veterans (2nd priority), but ahead of family caregivers (3rd priority). All applicants, including these veterans, must still meet the housing project's income requirements. The bill is currently pending in the Senate Military and Veterans' Affairs Committee.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Medicaid program to provide traditional fee-for-service coverage for long-term care services (like those from assisted living residences or personal care homes) to beneficiaries who are eligible for Medicaid's managed long-term services program but are still waiting to enroll in a managed care organization (MCO). Coverage begins when eligibility is confirmed and ends when MCO enrollment starts, preventing service gaps during the transition. It applies directly to Medicaid beneficiaries in this pending enrollment phase. The bill codifies an existing Medicaid policy, ensuring consistent coverage without creating new benefits.

Maddy summaryThis bill establishes a permanent Office of New Americans within New Jersey's Department of Human Services. It directly serves immigrants, refugees, and their families - over two million people representing nearly a quarter of the state's population - by providing refugee resettlement services, legal assistance, health screenings, and workforce development programs. The office will act as a central hub for coordinating state services, offering technical assistance to other agencies, and ensuring programs are culturally responsive. The Director, appointed by the Human Services Commissioner, will lead these efforts with staff prioritizing lived experience in immigrant communities. The bill formalizes existing initiatives from Executive Order 74 (2019) to improve access to resources and build trust between immigrant communities and state government.

Maddy summaryS 2749 requires the New Jersey Turnpike Authority and South Jersey Transportation Authority to install at least one hydrogen refueling station at every service area on their respective toll roads (Turnpike/Garden State Parkway and Atlantic City Expressway) within two years of the law taking effect. The bill mandates that these authorities recover installation and operating costs from motorists who use the stations, based on their individual usage. It directly affects toll road users and the two transportation authorities responsible for implementing the stations. The law defines hydrogen refueling stations as facilities providing hydrogen fuel for hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, which produce only water vapor as emissions and refuel similarly to gasoline vehicles.

Maddy summaryThis bill extends New Jersey's 2021 law (P.L.2021, c.324) that requires child care subsidy payments to licensed centers and family day care providers to be based on the number of enrolled eligible children - not actual attendance - through June 30, 2025. It directly affects child care providers receiving state subsidies by mandating they base staff wages and hours on enrollment numbers, not daily attendance. The law also requires the Division of Family Development to study enrollment-based versus attendance-based payment models and submit a report to the Governor and Legislature within three years. This extension ensures stable funding for providers during the study period while maintaining consistent payment structures for eligible child care services.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 2752) increases the safe distance for bow and arrow hunting near occupied buildings and school playgrounds from 150 feet to 450 feet. It requires private property owners who permit hunting on their land to provide written notice and obtain written confirmation from adjacent property owners at least 24 hours before hunting occurs. The law directly affects landowners and hunters on private property, aiming to prevent accidental harm to people or pets near hunting areas. Violations could result in civil penalties up to $1,500 and permanent loss of hunting privileges. The bill, titled "Restoring Safety Buffer Law," responds to an incident where a pet dog was accidentally shot during adjacent hunting.

Maddy summaryS 1973 exempts local utilities - including sewerage authorities, municipal utilities, and other local government entities providing electricity, gas, sewer, or water services - from certain reporting requirements under New Jersey law. Specifically, it removes "local utility" from the list of entities required to submit detailed pandemic-impact reports to the Board of Public Utilities. The bill amends existing law to exclude these local entities from submitting quarterly reports on customer disconnections, arrears, assistance programs, and financial impacts related to the coronavirus pandemic. This change directly affects local utility providers not regulated by the Board of Public Utilities, reducing their administrative reporting burden.

Maddy summaryThis bill permanently establishes the New Jersey-India Commission, continuing a body initially created by Governor Murphy's 2024 executive order. The commission, composed of 35-45 members appointed by the Governor (with legislative recommendations for some seats), aims to advance trade, investment, cultural exchanges, and policy collaboration between New Jersey and India. Key provisions include requiring biennial reports to the Governor and Legislature on commission activities and allowing the commission to raise funds for its operations. The bill directly affects New Jersey's economic and cultural engagement with India, targeting businesses, Indian-American communities, and state agencies involved in international relations. It does not create new taxes or spending but formalizes an existing initiative to strengthen ties with India, the state's second-largest foreign direct investor.