Sen. Joe Lagana

Maddy summaryThis bill requires all health insurance plans in New Jersey, including Medicaid, to cover treatment for stuttering without cost-sharing. It mandates coverage for both habilitative speech therapy (to help maintain or improve speech skills) and rehabilitative speech therapy (to restore speech skills that have been lost), whether provided in-person or through telehealth. The coverage must be provided without prior authorization, utilization management requirements, or any deductibles, copayments, or annual limits. This applies to all health insurance policies delivered, issued, executed, or renewed in New Jersey on or after the effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill requires New Jersey's Department of Community Affairs (DCA) to update construction codes for parking structures to accommodate the heavier weight of electric vehicles (EVs). For new parking structures, it mandates minimum 10% EV parking spaces, weight requirements for EVs, charger installation standards, and load distribution planning. For existing structures, it requires DCA to review load capacity, establish monitoring systems, and compel owners to fix structural deficiencies within 90 days or face closure. The changes aim to ensure safety as EV adoption grows, affecting all parking structure developers and owners statewide.

Maddy summaryThis bill directs New Jersey's Department of Human Services to launch a three-year advertising campaign aimed at attracting certified home health aides to health care careers, using $3 million in state funds. The campaign will promote health care professions as rewarding careers and highlight available scholarships, student loan assistance, and financial support for aides seeking these roles. It requires targeted advertising to recruit from underrepresented racial groups, aides with senior care expertise, and those entering high-demand health care fields. The Department must submit a report to the Governor and Legislature within six months after the campaign ends, detailing its effectiveness and recommending whether to continue it.

Maddy summaryThis bill amends New Jersey's FY2025 Community Hazard Assistance Mitigation Program (CHAMP) to add three new hazard mitigation projects to the list eligible for funding: Brick Township's reservoir improvements, Rochelle Park's sewer pump station reconstruction and elevation work, and Highlands Borough's flood mitigation and green infrastructure. It increases the total authorized funding from $7.2 million to $13.8 million to cover these nine approved projects. The New Jersey Infrastructure Bank will provide low-interest loans to local governments for these resilience initiatives, which aim to protect communities from flooding and climate-related risks. These projects directly affect Bergen County municipalities and other local governments receiving CHAMP loans.

Maddy summarySenate Resolution 121 urges major generative artificial intelligence companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google to voluntarily adopt policies protecting employees who report safety risks. It calls for companies to stop using confidentiality agreements that block criticism of risk-related concerns, create anonymous reporting channels for employees to contact leadership or regulators, and provide protection from legal action or account suspension during safety testing. The resolution is non-binding, meaning it does not require companies to comply but seeks to encourage adoption of these practices to improve transparency. This aims to empower workers to raise safety concerns without fear of retaliation, addressing gaps in current whistleblower protections for AI employees.

Maddy summaryS 4013 allows New Jersey clinical laboratories to offer discounts to patients facing financial hardship without reducing their NJ FamilyCare reimbursement rates or violating anti-rebate regulations. The bill permits labs to charge uninsured, underinsured, or vulnerable patients (including those experiencing homelessness, extreme poverty, awaiting Medicaid enrollment, or required for substance use disorder testing) less for services while maintaining standard reimbursement rates from NJ FamilyCare. To qualify for a discount, patients must demonstrate financial hardship through income documentation or evidence of exceptional circumstances. The bill also requires dismissal of pending enforcement actions against labs for previously offering such discounts, ensuring these discounts won't be considered violations of anti-rebate rules. This change aims to improve access to laboratory services for vulnerable populations without penalizing providers for offering financial assistance.

Maddy summaryThis bill (S 3998) standardizes benefits for New Jersey teachers' pension members by removing tiered eligibility. It requires all current non-retired members of the Teachers' Pension and Annuity Fund (TPAF) to receive the same benefits as those enrolled before July 1, 2007, effectively moving everyone to "Tier 1" benefits. Public employees meeting salary minimums but not hour requirements will be enrolled in TPAF, and current Defined Contribution Retirement Program (DCRP) members can transfer service credit to TPAF (without transferring contributions) to qualify for retirement benefits. Changes apply only to retirement applications processed after the bill's effective date.

Maddy summaryThis bill sets specific working hour limits for minors (ages 14-15) employed as professional athletes by national sports associations, leagues, or teams in New Jersey. It permits such minors to work after 11 p.m. only if the shift continues a workday starting before 11 p.m., with a written parental or guardian permission letter specifying allowed hours. The bill prohibits employment after 3 a.m. or before 6 a.m. on days preceding a regular school day. These rules apply only to professional athletic employment, not other minor work types covered under existing labor laws. The changes take immediate effect upon enactment.

Maddy summaryThis bill redirects a portion of worker contributions from the unemployment compensation trust fund to the unemployment compensation administration fund. Currently, workers contribute 0.3825% of wages to the trust fund, which funds unemployment benefits. The bill would reduce this to 0.3625% for the trust fund while directing 0.0200% of wages to the administration fund instead. This reallocation aims to address chronic underfunding in the administration fund, which handles system operations but lacks sufficient resources. The change would take effect for wages paid on or after January 1, 2024.

Maddy summaryS 3310 redirects a portion of workers' contributions from the unemployment compensation trust fund to the unemployment compensation administration fund. For workers employed by nongovernmental employers, it reduces the contribution rate from 0.3825% to 0.3625% of wages, with the 0.0200% difference going to the administration fund. For government workers, it reduces the contribution from 0.0825% to 0.0625%, with the 0.0200% difference similarly redirected. The bill affects all workers covered by New Jersey's unemployment system, including those in both private and government employment. This change addresses underfunding in the administration fund, which handles operational costs of the unemployment system, while maintaining the trust fund's benefit payments.